Always Second Best
by Destiny13
Summary: Ron feels that he's always being compared to either Harry or his brothers in everything he does.What's so great about them anyway?But he discovers that not everyone thinks of him as second best.In fact one person in particular likes him just the way he is
1. Some Things Never Change

Disclaimer: Harry Potter is the property of J.K. Rowling but the plot of this story and any characters you don't recognize are mine so don't steal them.

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**Author's Note:** I know, I have a whole bunch of stories going at the moment but it gives me variety when I'm writing so depending on which mood I'm in I'll be working on at least one of them. Anyways, to set the stage for this particular story… 

This story is primarily about Ron mostly because he is one of my favourite characters. It takes place the summer after the trio's fifth year so if for some reason you haven't read Order of the Phoenix yet you may not want to read this because of spoilers. I still haven't worked out an entire plot for this yet but don't worry, I will. Anyway, hope you enjoy and please review! Thanks!

P.S. Thoughts are in _italics_

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**Always Second Best**

**Chapter 1: Some Things Never Change**

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16 year old Ron Weasley had just completed his fifth year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry two weeks ago, and was quite glad to be able to relax. Granted, now that the wizarding world had accepted that Voldemort had returned relaxing had a new meaning attached to it, but at least he didn't have much homework. He pushed some of his flaming red hair out of his face as he gazed around his cluttered room with its many posters of the Chudley Canons, his favourite Quidditch team. He sighed and lay back on his bed. 

_At least my room hasn't changed,_ he thought with a slight smile. He, however, had changed quite a bit in the past few years.

He was no longer the gawky and clumsy pre-teen boy he had been in his first few years at Hogwarts but was a tall, athletic looking young man, with broad shoulders and strong facial features that made him look much more mature then he actually was-a fact which made him grin in a way reminiscant of the twins. He still had a sprinkling of freckles across his face but didn't mind, they'd fade eventually. And, if they didn't, he could always use magic.

He looked over at his bedside table where his prefect badge lay, but instead of making him feel proud, it made him feel guilty.

_It should've been Harry's,_ he thought, _He deserved, not me_.

_But why should he have all the glory?_ nagged a voice inside his head. _Why can't he be second best to you for once? You've put up with his arrogance for years and you know it. Him being better then you at Quidditch, him being so popular just because some guy tried to kill him, him always being the center of attention and he never wants to talk about your problems. His problems always come first because his problems are so much more important because he's a celebrity._

_Its not his fault, _Ron argued with himself. _He didn't ask Voldemort to come try and kill him. I know he'd rather his parents and Sirius were alive then be famous._

_You don't know that for sure, _nagged the voice,_ For all you know he craves the attention and is addicted it. He probably wouldn't give it a second thought if you suddenly dropped dead at his feet._

_That's not true!_

_Oh really? Care to prove that statement?_ the voice argued. _Face it Ronnie boy, no one gives a rat's ass about you and your pathetic hand-me-downs. You're just there and you're hardly important at all. Let me put it this way, if someone decided to write a book about you and Harry, you'd be Harry's little sidekick that's only there for comic relief and to provide a little variety. Harry, on the other hand, would be the star. The book would be from his point of view and only his point of view. Everyone would think you were just a little pasty wuss who can't even afford proper school supplies because your so damn poor._

"STOP IT!" Ron yelled suddenly. He sat up breathing heavily. He couldn't think like that. Harry was his friend, no matter what, and he knew it.

Sure Harry got more attention but it wasn't like he went looking for it, it found him. The poor guy hadn't really had an easy life because he grew up with those god-awful muggle relatives of his who had treated him like dirt his whole life. He hardly talked about them but Ron had met them and knew what kind of people they were. Harry had also never really known his parents and now he'd lost his god-father, Sirius, the closest thing he'd ever had to a parent.

Ron shook his head to clear his thoughts.

His younger sister, Ginny, poked her head into his room, "Were you yelling at me?" she asked.

"No Ginny," Ron replied as he rubbed his forehead.

"Who were you yelling at then?" Ginny inquired, eyebrows raised.

Ron sighed, "It's nothing," he replied curtly. "Just go away will you?"

Ginny knew better then to argue and left, closing the door behind her.

Ron picked up his journal/sketch book and flipped through it. It was mostly drawings with the odd scribble here and there in his untidy scrawl. Some of the drawings were actually quite good, but he wouldn't flatter himself, he'd seen better and he wasn't going to pretend to be some great artist. Drawing was a way for him to relax and take his mind off things.

He looked up briefly at the picture of himself, Hermione and Harry from the previous year that sat on his desk. They were all smiling and waving back at him which made him feel better. The photographic Harry winked and slid out of view, leaving only the images of himself and Hermione. Ron blinked in surprise as he stared at the picture.

It was true, he wouldn't deny it, he did like Hermione, quite a bit actually, and really did want to be 'more then friends'. Every time he heard her talk about Viktor Krum or pretty much any other guy, he felt a twinge of jealousy. What did she see in Krum anyway? Sure, he was a famous Quidditch player but she didn't even like Quidditch. Why did girls have to be so damn complicated? You never knew how they'd react to things because they were so friggin unpredictable. One minute they'd be smiling and laughing and the next they'd be bawling their eyes out for no good reason. Ron returned to looking through his notebook.

After awhile, he came across a sketch he'd made of an angel. He frowned as he studied it, there was something very familiar about it but he couldn't quite put his finger on it. Suddenly, it clicked and he gasped.

"Holy shit!" he exclaimed in a soft voice, "It's Hermione!" He stared at it for several more second before closing the notebook and tossing it onto his desk. "I think my subconscious is trying to drive me insane," he muttered to himself as he stood up and stretched. He looked around his messy room and sighed. He needed to clean up at least a little bit since Harry and Hermione would be arriving the next day to spend summer vacation at the Burrow. He squared his shoulders and got to work, it was going to take awhile.

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I know, it was a short chapter but it seemed like a good place to end it. The next chapter should be up soon, we'll see what happens. Originally it was going to be part of this chapter but I changed my mind and since I'm the author, I'm allowed to do that. For all you people who are tired of reading Ron/Hermione pairings this will turn into another one so you are under no obligation to continue reading this but for those who want to continue reading this feel free to do so because I will greatly appreciate it. Anyway, please review with any constructive criticism (that means no flamers please and thank you!) or even just to say you liked it if you did because reviews make me feel very happy and it will give you the satisfaction of having made my day. Thanks! 

Megan


	2. Friends Always Know

**Disclaimer:** Harry Potter and all associated characters/creatures/places/things are not mine unless its something you've never seen before and is therefore mine.

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**Author's Note: **Here's chapter two! It's a bit longer then the first one was and it's a bit more descriptive. Anywho, please read and review! Thanks!

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**Chapter 2: Friends Always Know**

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The following day dawned bright and sunny. Ron stretched as he rolled out of bed and pulled on a shirt before heading downstairs for breakfast.  
  
"Good morning dear," said Mrs. Weasley as he entered the kitchen, still rubbing his eyes.  
  
"Morning mum," said Ron, as he sat down at the table across from Ginny who was eating toast, "Morning Gin."  
  
"Morning," Ginny said between bites.  
  
"How would you like your eggs today?" Mrs. Weasley asked as she levitated two eggs over to the stove.  
  
"Scrambled please," Ron replied as he poured himself some orange juice.  
  
There was the sound of hurried footsteps as the twins, Fred and George, clattered down the stairs.  
  
"Bye mum! Bye Ron! Bye Gin!" they said together as they raced through the kitchen.  
  
"Bye," Ron and Ginny said together.  
  
"Do you have your lunches?" Mrs. Weasley asked and the twins skidded to a halt and looked at each other.  
  
"Now there's something we don't want to forget!" said Fred.  
  
"That's for sure," agreed George. The two gratefully took the brown paper bags their mother held out to them.  
  
"Have a good day," said Mrs. Weasley.  
  
The twins grinned.  
  
"Oh, we will," said Fred with a grin.  
  
"Especially since we're introducing some new products today," said George, he was also grinning.  
  
With a loud 'crack' they disapparated.  
  
Mrs. Weasley carried Ron's eggs over and dumped them onto his plate. "Here you go," she said.  
  
"Thanks mum," Ron said as he dug in.  
  
"We're leaving at 2 o'clock to pick up Harry and Hermione," said Mrs. Weasley as she set the pan in the sink. "Are your rooms cleaned?"  
  
Ron nodded and swallowed, "Yeah, I did mine yesterday," he replied.  
  
"Me too," Ginny said.  
  
"Well, once you've finished you breakfast would you please set up the cots then?" asked Mrs. Weasley as she untied her apron. "I have a few errands to run this morning."  
  
"Yes mum."  
  
"Wonderful," said Mrs. Weasley as she gathered her purse and coat. "I'll be back in an hour or so, OK?"  
  
"OK."  
  
"Alright then," said Mrs. Weasley, as she pulled out her wand. "I'll see you two later." She flicked her wand and with a loud 'crack' disapparated just as the twins had.  
  
Ginny stood up and carried her dishes over to the sink, "I'm going upstairs," she said, "When you're done can you come help me get the cots out of the attic?"  
  
Ron nodded, "Sure," he said.  
  
At roughly 1:50pm, Ron raced down the stairs to go get Harry and Hermione.  
  
"Ready to go?" asked Mrs. Weasley and he nodded. "Hurry up Ginny!" she called up the stairs, before going into the next room to gather her coat.  
  
"Coming!" came Ginny's voice. Several seconds later, she came thundering down the stairs, her purse swinging about wildly behind her.  
  
Ron stared at her, "Are you wearing make-up?" he asked.  
  
"Just a little bit!" Ginny said hastily.  
  
"If I didn't know any better I'd say you were trying to impress someone," Ron said with a smile, but inside he was rather angry. She's my little sister! She shouldn't even be thinking about boys like that! he thought, If Harry hurts her I swear I'll rip him to shreds!  
  
Ginny blushed crimson, "I just felt like trying something new today, that's all," she said.  
  
"What happened to Dean?" asked Ron, as he tried to keep his emotions at bay.  
  
"We decided to just be friends," replied Ginny as she studied herself in the mirror.  
  
"So you broke up with him."  
  
"I didn't say that."  
  
"Ah, he broke up with you then."  
  
"I didn't say that either."  
  
"Then what happened?"  
  
Ginny sighed, "We came to a mutual agreement," she explained sounding exasperated. "We both felt that we shouldn't date each other anymore because our relationship wasn't really going anywhere."  
  
"Ah, I see," Ron said, "You had a fight."  
  
Ginny shoved him, "You're such an idiot!" she exclaimed.  
  
Ron laughed, "And why's that?" he asked.  
  
Ginny rolled her eyes, "You have no idea how these things work do you?" she said.  
  
"How what works?" Ron asked.  
  
"Relationships," Ginny said, "I think what you need is a girlfriend."  
  
"What are you talking about?" Ron said as he rolled his eyes, "I don't need a girlfriend."  
  
"Oh yes you do!" said Ginny. "And I'm going to find you one!"  
  
At that moment, Mrs. Weasley came bustling in. "Ready? Let's go," she said and the three walked out to the car Mr. Weasley had recently bought to replace their old one that Ron had accidentally crashed into the Whomping Willow at Hogwarts in his second year.  
  
"Are you sure you don't want me to drive?" Ron asked, a note of eagerness in his voice. Mr. Weasley had already let him drive around the countryside a few times and he wasn't that bad.  
  
"Yes, quite sure," Mrs. Weasley said, as they got into the car and buckled up.  
  
About 15 minutes later, they pulled into the driveway of number 4, Privet Drive and got out of the car. (The trip would've been longer but Mr. Weasley had installed severl special features in the car.) They walked up to the door and Ron rang the doorbell. The door opened to reveal a smiling Harry, his back hair messier then ever. However, behind his glasses, Harry's brilliant green eyes seemed troubled and Ron felt sure he knew why.  
  
"Hi Ron, Mrs. Weasley, Ginny," Harry said, relief plainly evident in his voice.  
  
"Hey Harry," Ron said with a grin. He had a feeling Harry's summer had not been very fun thus far and resolved to make sure the next few weeks were full of fun.  
  
"Hello dear," Mrs. Weasley said. She smiled at him, but looked concerned.  
  
"Hi Harry," Ginny said and Ron noticed Harry seemed a bit taken aback by Ginny's new look.  
  
Harry caught his eye and gave him a questioning look. Ron just shrugged.  
  
"Are you ready to go?" asked Mrs. Weasley. "We still need to pick up Hermione."  
  
"Yeah, hold on," said Harry. "Let me just go tell my aunt and uncle I'm leaving. You can come in if you like."  
  
The Weasleys stepped inside and Harry disappeared down the hallway.  
  
Ron looked around. The last time he had been here, he had traveled by Floo Powder with his dad and the twins. That had proved to be rather disastrous as the Dursley's had boarded up the fireplace and upon their arrival, the four Weasleys had had to blast their way out. The time before that, Ron had helped Harry escape in the old flying Ford Angelina he'd later crashed into the Whomping Willow. Needless to say, the Dursleys weren't very fond of the Weasley family.  
  
Harry reappeared dragging his trunk behind him and a few seconds later, his aunt and uncle appeared behind him.  
  
Ron stifled a laugh as he caught sight of the look of terror on the two muggles' faces.  
  
"Hello," Mrs. Weasley said cheerfully.  
  
Petunia looked highly offended but Vernon managed a curt nod.  
  
"Well, we'd better be off," said Mrs. Weasley. "It was nice seeing you again."  
  
"Bye," Harry said.  
  
"Bye," grunted Vernon.  
  
As they walked down the front steps, they heard the door slam behind them and Harry and Ron burst out laughing.  
  
"Did you see his face when he saw you guys?" Harry said.  
  
"Yeah!" said Ron. "Where was your cousin Dudley though? Hiding away in his bedroom again?"  
  
Harry nodded, "Yeah," he said. "Ever since Hagrid gave him that pig tail he's never been the same."  
  
"I wish I could've seen him again," Ron said, "Could've asked him if he wanted anymore toffees."  
  
The three teenagers laughed but Mrs. Weasley clicked her tongue and frowned.  
  
"That's not very nice," she said.  
  
"Yeah, but he's a stupid bullying git mum," said Ron.  
  
"That still doesn't make it right," was all Mrs. Weasley said.  
  
They got in the car and drove to Hermione's house. As they got out of the car, Ron was hard pressed not to dash up the steps as fast as he could.  
  
Harry just rolled his eyes and smiled to himself.  
  
"What?" Ron demanded.  
  
"Nothing," Harry replied, still smiling.  
  
Ginny rang the doorbell and a smiling Hermione answered. Her long, bushy brown hair tumbled loosely down her shoulders. Ron couldn't help but notice that she looked even prettier then the last time he'd seen her. It took all of his self-control to keep from gaping like an idiot at her.  
  
"I'm so glad to see you guys!" squealed Hermione as she hugged each of them, "Come on in! I'll get my things."  
  
As the group entered, Mr. and Mrs. Granger appeared in the hallway.  
  
"So good to see you again!" said a smiling Mr. Granger as he shook Mrs. Weasley's hand. He smiled at the boys and Ginny, "Looks like our Hermione isn't the only one who's growing up!"  
  
Hermioen blushed, "Dad!" she said.  
  
Ron couldn't help but grin, Hermione looked cute when she blushed. He noticed Ginny and Harry exchange looks. Was it really that obvious he liked her? No, it couldn't be, he'd never said anything that would imply he liked her, or had he?  
  
"Thank you so much for inviting Hermione to spend the summer," said Mrs. Granger.  
  
"Oh it's our pleasure," said Mrs. Weasley. "We love having her over."  
  
As the adults continued talking, Hermione led the others upstairs.  
  
"How's your summer been so far Hermione?" asked Ginny.  
  
Hermione shrugged, "Not too bad," she said, "I finished reading this wonderful book called The History of Modern Magic Around the World yesterday." She led them into her bedroom, which was painted a light shade of purple and had several pictures and posters decorating it. Ron looked around and saw several pictures of himself, Harry and Hermione at Hogwarts. His eyes feel on one that was identical to the one he had on his desk at home. Once again, the photographic Harry winked at him before sliding out of the frame. Ron looked over at Harry who was trying his best not to laugh.  
  
"What's so funny?" he demanded.  
  
"Nothing," Harry said with a grin.  
  
Ron rolled his eyes, "You're so weird sometimes," he said.  
  
Hermione threw a few more books in her trunk then slammed it shut. "OK, now I just need my backpack and shoes," she said as she searched inside her closet.  
  
Ron and Harry walked over and lifted up the trunk.  
  
"Blimey Hermione!" exclaimed Ron, "What have you got in here? This thing weighs a ton!"  
  
"I really didn't pack that much," Hermione said as she pulled on her shoes, "Just some books and my clothes and things."  
  
"Girls sure know how to over-pack," Harry muttered as the carried the trunk out into the hallway.  
  
"That's for sure," agreed Ron as they carried the trunk downstairs.  
  
"I heard that!" came Ginny and Hermione's voices.  
  
A few minutes later, everyone was ready to go. After Hermione said good- bye to her parents they all got into the car and drove back to the Burrow.  
  
Later, while Harry unpacked in Ron's room, Ron lay on his bed reading.  
  
"So are you finally going to admit that you like her?" Harry said as he pulled out a rather baggy sweatshirt which had been his cousin's before and therefore was much to big for Harry.  
  
Ron started, "Like who?" he asked, trying to sound casual but failed spectacularly.  
  
Harry rolled his eyes, "Hermione," he said, as he tossed the sweatshirt onto a nearby chair.  
  
"But I...er...uh..." Ron stammered.  
  
Harry laughed, "You don't have to lie Ron, I know you do," he said.  
  
Ron groaned, "Is it that obvious?" he asked as he sat up.  
  
"Painfully," replied Harry.  
  
Ron sighed, "How did you know though? I never said anything, did I?" he asked.  
  
Harry smiled as he sat down beside his friend, "Ron, I've been friends with you since that first train ride to Hogwarts," he explained, "How could I not know?"

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OK, so that's it, hope you enjoyed it. Chapter 3 should be up sometime soon, I'm in the process of writing it out at the moment. Anyway, please review because reviews make me feel happy and make me write more. Thanks!  
  
-Megan


	3. A Sense of Relief

**Disclaimer:** Harry Potter and all associated characters belong to J. K. Rowling and are therefore not mine, so please don't sue me!

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Author's Note:** First of all I have to thank all the people who reviewed my story! You have no idea how happy I was when I checked my e-mail and discovered 14 new reviews in one day for this story! I feel obliged to thank all of you personally so here goes.  
  
**Katarina Phillippe**-Thank you! You were my first review for this story and I'm flattered that you put me on your alerts!  
  
**svfanforlife**-Yes, it's going to be a Ron/Hermione story. If you can't tell I'm a bit of a Ron/Hermione fan, mostly because I'm positive that they'll have a 'more then friends' relationship in the books. Thanks for saying I nailed the characters and I'm very flattered that you consider me a good writer!  
  
**charmedunderharry'sspell**-I figured that Harry wouldn't tell Ron what Dumbledore said about the whole prefect situation because he'd want to be a good friend about it and is sincerely happy for Ron's success. This chapter's a bit longer but as for your other question I haven't decided if Harry will have any serious romance yet. I personally like the idea of him being with Ginny but at the same time I kind of think it's corny. Guess we'll have to wait and see!  
  
**Elmindrea-al'Thor**-Thanks for the vote of confidence! I've never had someone say my story was cute before but that's probably because I usually don't write about relationship stuff!  
  
**Braidless Baka**- Thanks for the review!  
  
**Foolish Fish**-I'm like you, I too can never read enough Ron and Hermione pairings and the Draco/Hermione ones are growing on me. Cool name too!  
  
**The Nauti Dolphin**-You're the opposite of me! I've always been a Ron/Hermione person but the Draco/Hermione stuff's growing on me! Ron's one of my favourite characters too though. Thanks for the positive feedback!  
  
**purplereader**-Ah, don't worry it didn't sound that dorky and I too really like Ron/Hermione pairings. (Obviously eh-otherwise why would I write one?) Go figure that Megan's one of your favourite names, I happen to be quite partial to it myself-lol. I have to disagree with you a bit though about Ginny and the Weasley family in general. I don't think they're all 'goody-goody' either but there is a certain sense of them being portrayed in a better light then say the Dursley's or Malfoys. Also, I can see Ginny being concerned about her appearance a little bit when it comes to boys so that's why I put that little bit in. Plus, she's supposed to be 14 so she's getting into make-up and boys a bit more because the hormones are raging-lol.  
  
**Positive-Truth14**-Yeah, I definitely need to work on my dialogue. I find it's hard for me to write dialogue for male characters especially because I'm a girl but I'm working on it. Thanks for the compliment about the word choice, what can I say-I'm a regular human thesaurus thanks to all the reading I do. (Although I'm far from being a human dictionary because my spelling is horrible!)  
  
**Pirate-Lib**-Thanks for saying I'm good at capturing the essence of J. K. Rowling's characters! I think I have a better feel for Ron then anyone else (except maybe Harry) because she provides her readers with so much detail.  
  
**The Thinker of 56**-I am extremely flattered that you think this is 'a good fic for a change' because that's very encouraging. I totally know what you mean with the grammar, it can stand to be improved. I'll agree with you about the swearing too, I meant to change that but forgot. You can always tell when some of my own personality starts creeping into the characters based on the dialogue. I myself swear quite a bit when the occasion presents itself-lol.  
  
**Melona**-Thank you for your review!  
  
**WindWriter17**-Thanks for the positive comment about the plot! I was worried about it because I don't want it to be all fluffy and stuff. I'm going to try and introduce some more conflict surrounding not only relationships but Voldemort in later chapters just to give the plot more depth. I know what you mean though about the commas, definitely need to work on that.  
  
Anywho, thanks once again to all those who reviewed! I hope you all enjoy this chapter! I would've posted sooner but I lost my posting privilages for a week because apparently my story "Harry Potter in a Messed Up Little World" broke some guideline or other. They didn't say what I did wrong but just deleted it and took away my posting privilages! Needless to say I have NOT been a happy camper for the past week. But anywho, on with the show!  
  
P.S. If you can't tell by the chapter title the group gets their OWL results. I'm not sure how to write them up so I just took a stab at it but if any of you have a better idea feel free to let me know. I probably won't change it but I might use your suggestions for a future story.

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**Chapter 3: A Sense of Relief**

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The summer was a hot one, so the next day afternoon found Ron, Hermione and Harry relaxing in the shade of a large weeping willow in the backyard. Hermione had brought a rather large book outside with her, but Ron noticed it soon lay forgotten by her side as the trio settled into a light-hearted conversation. Ron sensed unease as they talked though, and knew that his two friends felt the same way he did about Voldemort's return; they'd talked about it enough and since there was no new news it was best to talk about other things, there'd be plenty of time to talk about doom and gloom later. He couldn't explain it, but somehow Ron knew that soon Voldemort would be the only thing to talk about, a thought which greatly disturbed him. He shivered involuntairly and glanced at Harry who, despite his smile, seemed depressed. Ron turned his head to look at Hermione and noticed that she was better at hiding her anxiety than Harry, but it was still there, he could see it in her eyes. Every so often she would glance in Harry's direction and bite her lip, clearly worried about her friend. She and Ron exchanged looks and her expression plainly showed her concern. They'd come to an agreement before school had even ended not to mention anything that could possibly set Harry off into a rage, mainly meaning they wouldn't mention Sirius. Ron also had a sneaking suspicion that mentioning Voldemort in even the most off-handed manner would result in an angry outburst.  
  
"We should be getting our OWL results soon," Hermione commented, causing Ron to focus on the conversation again.  
  
"Don't remind me," he groaned.  
  
However, in truth the fact that their OWL results would be arriving any day now was never far from Ron's mind. As more and more days passed, Ron grew increasingly anxious, not that he would admit it. The only subject he wasn't worried about was Defence Against the Dark Arts. Potions, on the other hand, was quite a different matter.  
  
"Don't you want to know how you did?" Hermione asked, clearly surprised at Ron's lack of enthusiasm.  
  
"I can wait," Ron replied simply. "What about you Harry?" he asked, "Are you as eager as Hermione or can you wait like me?"  
  
"I'd kind of like to know how I did, but I'm in a rush," Harry said with a shrug. "Although I am interested to see my potions mark. Was it just me or was it less stressful without Snape breathing down the back of our necks the entire time?"  
  
"Yeah," Ron agreed with a laugh. "Since that greasy git was absent I think I actually managed to complete a potion without a single mistake for once."  
  
"Much as I hate to say something bad about one of our teachers," Hermione began, and Ron snorted to cover his laughter, as did Harry. "I'll admit Snape's presence does create a great deal of extra stress," Hermione finished with a wry smile.  
  
"You know Harry," Ron said, "I think we're a bad influence on her."  
  
Harry laughed, "Just a little bit," he agreed.  
  
"As if I'd let you two influence me," Hermione said as she rolled her eyes, but Ron noticed the beginnings of a smile. "Did you two ever decide what NEWTS you'll be taking next year though?" she asked.  
  
"Did you?" Harry countered.  
  
"Well, sort of," Hermione said slowly.  
  
"What are you going to go into then?" Ron asked. He was curious about what Hermione would do after school. After all, someone of her intelligence could do pretty much anything she wanted.  
  
"I was seriously considering teaching for awhile," Hermione said thoughtfully, "But now I think I might become an Auror."  
  
Both boys stared at her.  
  
"What?" she said irritiably, "You don't think I could handle it?"  
  
"It's not that," Harry said with a sideways glance at Ron.  
  
"We just thought you'd become a libarian or something because you spend most of your time in there anyway," Ron said with a perfectly straight face.  
  
"Oh shut up!" Hermione said, with a laugh. "The only reason I'm usually in the library is because I'm doing homework."  
  
"Sure it is," Ron said.  
  
"For all we know you're meeting Viktor in the library so as not to be seen," Harry said with a devious grin.  
  
Ron glanced sideways at Harry and grinned. He had a hunch that Harry was trying to get Hermione to slip up and make a mistake that would tell them who she liked. _What would I do without him?_ he thought. He was glad he'd finally admitted to Harry that he did like Hermione and he was grateful that Harry was being subtle about it and not screaming it at the top of his lungs the way he'd expected.  
  
Hermione rolled her eyes, "As if," she said, and Ron could've sworn her eyes flickered in his direction for a split second. "Besides the fact that it would be virtually impossible to sneak someone into the castle, Viktor and I are just _friends_." There was a finality in her tone of voice that clearly said she didn't want to talk about it again.  
  
Harry leaned forward, "Alright then," he said, "If you don't like Viktor, who do you like?"  
  
"None of your business," Hermione said hastily as she turned away blushing. "Besides, I highly doubt that you two will tell me who you like."  
  
"Well I can truthfully say that I don't like anyone at the moment," Harry said. "After the debacle with Cho I'm off dating for the time being."  
  
Ron started to say something then changed his mind and remained silent. He didn't want to say the wrong thing incase she did like him and then got the wrong idea. He could see that she was watching him, looking curious. A little too curious in fact.  
  
"What about you Ron?" she asked. "Do you like someone?"  
  
Ron shrugged, "Maybe I do, maybe I don't," he replied with a slight smile.  
  
Hermione started to say something, but at that precise moment, Ginny came racing out into the backyard, three large envelopes clutched in her hand.  
  
"Your OWL resluts are here!" she called.  
  
"Oh no," Ron groaned, "I was hoping to avoid this for a few more days!"  
  
Hermione had jumped up and was racing to meet Ginny, barely able to contain her excitement.  
  
"I can't wait to see how I did!" she exclaimed as she tore open the envelope and extracted the thick yellowish parchment.  
  
Ginny handed Ron and Harry their envelopes and they opened there's with a great deal less excitement then Hermione.  
  
As Ron unfolded the pages a sense of dread started to fill him. What if he'd failed? What would he do? He swallowed hard and looked at the page.  
  
_Dear Ronald Weasley,  
  
We are pleased to inform you that your Ordinary Wizarding Levels (O.W.L.s) have been completed and marked. Below you will find the marks for both your written and practical examinations. Enclosed is the list of courses you may choose from for your sixth year. Please choose carefully as what you select shall determine your future occupation.  
  
Sincerely,  
  
Professor M. McGonagall  
Deputy Headmistress  
_  
_**Ordinary Wizarding Levels for Ronald Weasley  
**  
Astronomy  
Written Examination = O   
Practical Examination = O   
Care of Magical Creatures  
Written Examination = O  
Practical Examination = O   
Charms  
Written Examination= E  
Practical Examination = O   
Defence Against the Dark Arts  
Written Examination = O  
Practical Examination = O   
Divination  
Written Examination = A  
Practical Examination = A   
Herbology  
Written Examination = E  
Practical Examinationm = E   
History of Magic  
Written Examination = A   
Potions  
Written Examination = E  
Practical Examination = O   
Transfiguration  
Written Examination = E  
Practical Examination = O  
  
Please Note: This exam was interupted and the circumstances have been taken into account._  
  
Ron breathed a sigh of relief. He wished he'd gotten a few more "Outstanding" marks but all in all he'd gotten nine so he was pretty happy.  
  
"How'd you guys do?" he asked as he looked up from his paper.  
  
"See for yourself!" Hermione said happily as she thrust her paper under his nose.  
  
_**Ordinary Wizarding Levels for Hermione Granger**_  
  
_Ancient Runes  
Written Examination = O   
Arithmacy  
Written Examination = O  
Practical Examination = O   
Astronomy  
Written Examination = O Practical Examination = O   
Care of Magical Creatures  
Written Examination = O  
Practical Examination = O   
Charms  
Written Examination= O  
Practical Examination = O   
Defence Against the Dark Arts  
Written Examination = O  
Practical Examination = O   
Herbology  
Written Examination = O  
Practical Examinationm = O   
History of Magic  
Written Examination = O   
Potions  
Written Examination = O  
Practical Examination = O   
Transfiguration  
Written Examination = O  
Practical Examination = O  
  
Please Note: This exam was interupted and the circumstances have been taken into account._  
  
Perfect, of course, Ron thought with a smile. "Great job Hermione," he congratulated her. "What about you Harry?"  
  
Harry looked up with a slight smile, "Not too horrible," he said. He was clearly as relieved as Ron.  
  
"Well let's see then," Ron said as he and Harry exchanged papers.  
  
**_Ordinary Wizarding Levels for Harry Potter_**  
  
_Astronomy  
Written Examination = O Practical Examination = O   
Care of Magical Creatures  
Written Examination = O  
Practical Examination = O   
Charms  
Written Examination= E  
Practical Examination = O   
Defence Against the Dark Arts  
Written Examination = O  
Practical Examination = O   
Divination  
Written Examination = E  
Practical Examination = A   
Herbology  
Written Examination = E  
Practical Examinationm = E   
History of Magic  
Written Examination = E   
Potions  
Written Examination = O  
Practical Examination = O   
Transfiguration  
Written Examination = E  
Practical Examination = O  
  
Please Note: This exam was interupted and the circumstances have been taken into account.  
_  
"You just beat me by one! Bloody hell, I thought I'd beaten you for once!" Ron exclaimed. "But good job mate!"  
  
"You too," Harry said with a smile as he took back his results.  
  
Hermione was grinning broadly, "I feel so relieved now!" she said.  
  
"As if you had anything to worry about," Ron said with a grin. "I would've been shocked if you hadn't gotten perfect!"  
  
"Oh?" Hermione said with raised eyebrows, "And why's that?"  
  
"Because you always get everything perfect," Harry replied.  
  
"Or better then perfect," added Ron.  
  
"Don't be silly Ron," Hermione said, "That's not possible!"  
  
"What about your Charms exam first year then?" asked Ron.  
  
"Bonus marks," Hermione replied.  
  
"See, better then perfect."  
  
Just then Mrs. Weasley came running out of the house.  
  
"Is it true?" she asked, "Did you get your OWL results?"  
  
The three nodded.  
  
"Oh how'd you do?" Mrs. Weasley asked, as she scooped up Ron's paper to read. "Oh wonderful job Ron! Wonderful job! Nine OWLS! That's how many Charlie got and only two less then Bill!"  
  
Harry and Hermione both looked at Ron, clearly wanting to know why Percy wasn't mentioned. Ron shrugged, he didn't know either, especially since Percy and the family had reconciled the previous month. Perhaps Mrs. Weasley was still upset about it. However, he was all to aware that once again he was being compared to his brothers, something he didn't like at all.  
  
_Why does she always have to compare us?_ he thought, _Doesn't she realize that we're different people? Why can't I have a little glory without being compared to them for once in my life?_  
  
"And how did you two do?" Mrs. Weasley asked Harry and Hermione. "If you don't mind me asking of course."  
  
Hermione beamed as she handed her paper to Mrs. Weasley.  
  
"Oh my!" exclaimed Mrs. Weasley as she read over the page, "Congraulations Hermione!"  
  
"Thanks Mrs. Weasley!" beamed Hermione.  
  
"And what about you Harry?" asked Mrs. Weasley.  
  
"Better then I thought," Harry replied as he handed over his paper.  
  
"Well I think we should have a special celebration tonight then!" Mrs. Weasley announced as she handed Harry his paper back.. "I'll go get it started!" She hurried back into the house and soon the sounds of pots, pans and other assorted kitchen noises could be heard.  
  
"As if we didn't eat enough last night," Ron muttered and Harry laughed. It was true though, the previous night there had been piles of Mrs. Weasley's wonderful cooking.  
  
"You're mom's a great cook though," Harry said. "I definitely won't have to worry about going hungry while I'm here!"  
  
"Obviously," Ron said, "My mum loves you guys so she cooks so much more then she would if we didn't have company."  
  
"Your mum really is amazing though Ron," Hermione said. "I'm glad she let us come over and visit again."  
  
"Me too," Ron said, and Harry rolled his eyes as he smirked.  
  
"Oh really?" Harry said with his eyebrows raised, "And why's that Ron?"  
  
"Because you're my friends," Ron said with a look to Harry that clearly said 'don't you dare'.  
  
"Right......" Harry said in a disbelieving voice.  
  
Hermione gave the two a funny look. "Is there something I should know about?" she asked.  
  
"I don't think so," Ron replied carefully as he avoided eye contact.  
  
"Are you sure?" she asked.  
  
"Uh, yes?" Ron said hopefully.  
  
Hermione frowned, "OK," she said, hands on her hips, "What's going on?"  
  
"Nothing!" Ron replied hastily.  
  
"Well I guess I'll just have to ask Ginny then," Hermione said. She turned to Ginny, who had been surprisingly quiet as she watched the whole thing unfold. "Care to explain what's going on here?"  
  
"I wish I could but I'm probably even more confused then you," replied Ginny.  
  
"Boys," Hermione muttered as she rolled her eyes. "Well, I'm going inside for a little bit to work on some more of my notes."  
  
"But it's summer vacation!" Ron exclaimed.  
  
"And I just got my OWL results," Hermione said. "If I want to maintain that grade level I'm going to have to work even harder!"  
  
She disappeared into the house, leaving the boys staring after her.  
  
"I think I'm going to go do some work too," said Ginny. "I have a huge essay for history of magic that I haven't even started yet and if I don't do it now I never will."  
  
"Girls," mutter Ron, as he watched his sister go inside. "They are so weird sometimes."  
  
"No kidding," Harry agreed.

* * *

Yes I know, not a very good chapter but I needed to get the OWL results out of the way and hopefully all of you picked up on some of the foreshadowing that I snuck in here and there. Just some nice fluff (which I'm horrible at writing-lol!) that hints at what might happen. I'm not happy with this chapter at all but c'est la vie. I hate when I start out with something really good and then it just goes downhill the rest of the chapter. It's times like these that I realize I need to sharpen my basic writing skills before I try anything too fancy. (If you can't tell, I'm my own toughest critic.) The next chapter should be better, I'm going to introduce a bit more conflict to add some excitement and suspense to the plot. There's a couple different things I want to mix in to the story to add different layers so that it's a more substantial story so please be patient with me! Thanks again for all the reviews! They really made my day!  
  
-Megan 


	4. Dangerous Conversations

**Disclaimer:** Harry Potter and all associted characters/things belong to J.K. Rowling.

* * *

**  
Author's Note:** Hey everyone! Sorry about the wait but I've been really incredibly busy lately it seems and haven't had time to think of any new ideas for my stories. I've been trying to repost all my chapters for my story that got deleted but first I had to re-type them all so that's been stressful, to say the least. Plus exams just finished so that was another bit of stress to deal with and I've had tons of soccer and I start training for my summer job next week so there's just way too much going on right now. I'm trying to write a chapter a week though but I can't promise that I always will. Thanks to all my reviewers once again! You guys are awesome and really keep me motivated!  
  
**The Nauti Dolphin**-Thanks so much for the boost of confidence about the last chapter. I still didn't like it too much but at least I'm now reassured that it wasn't that bad. Since you can't stand crappy updates I'll try not to have one OK? Thanks for reading my other 'whack job' story-lol. I'll try and read the rest of your Draco/Hermione fic later today or maybe tomorrow, depending on how much work I have to do around the house. Thanks for the review though!  
  
**shedoc**-Well I'm glad I managed to make you curious about where this story is going. Truth be told I'm not to sure yet myself, I only have a small outline written out so far but I'm expanding on it almost daily whenever the mood strikes me. Thanks for the review!  
  
**Elmindrea-al'Thor**- Thanks for the review! Although I wouldn't necessairly call Ron 'sweet'-lol.  
  
**jen**-About time Jen! Geez! I told you to read this story ages ago-lol! Thanks though but don't feed my ego too much. Just so you know though, for you to re-type chapters for my messed up story I'd have to type them first then e-mail them to you so it wouldn't make any sense. Thanks for the offer though. If you come see my english movie I'll put you to work though, how about that eh? Well, thanks again! (You should've remembered reading the first two chapters of this in like January though, remember I asked you what you thought about it sso I could edit it? Well I remembered your advice and edited it accordingly.)  
  
**Karen C**.-Oh my god Karen! I can't believe you actually read it! I was just bugging you about it because I was bored, I didn't think you'd really go and read it-lol. Maybe the next step is for you to start reading the real Harry Potter books!  
  
**K.A.G**.-Thanks for reviewing! Glad you like it so far and I'm also very happy that you've reviewed like every chapter of "Harry Potter in a Crazy Little World". Thanks for reviewing!  
  
Lately it seems that everytime I open my e-mail there's tons of new reviews which really makes my day! They really do help motivate me to keep me from being too lazy-lol. Anywho, enough talk, on with the chapter!  
  
P.S. I might come back and edit this chapter later tonight or tomorrow. I'm in a bit of a rush at the moment but I really wanted to get this posted today. Sorry if there's lots of spelling mistakes and grammatical errors.

* * *

**Chapter 4: Dangerous Conversations**

* * *

Later that night at dinner, Ron noticed that the festive cheer Mrs. Weasley had expressed earlier in the afternoon had almost disappeared. Mr. Weasley was trying his best look happy but it was all too obvious that something was going on and most likely that something had to do with Voldemort. Bill and Charlie had arrived in time for dinner, the latter had returned from Romania the previous week for a holiday; although Ron wondered what kind of holiday it was if the Order was constantly trying to track down Voldemort and his followers. Fred and George were both there and seemed over exuberant, even for them, as if they were trying to hide something. Ron looked across the table at Ginny who looked as puzzled as he felt and then over at Hermione, who bit her lip and frowned. He turned to Harry who shrugged.  
  
"Maybe we should ask," Harry said in a low voice.  
  
"It couldn't hurt," Ron agreed. He looked down the table at his mother who was conversing with Bill in a low voice looking worried. "Mum?" he said, and she looked up.  
  
"Yes Ron?" said Mrs. Weasley.  
  
"What's going on?" Ron asked.  
  
"What do you mean dear?" Mrs. Weasley asked, but her smile seemed rather strained.  
  
Ron frowned, "Did something happen?" he asked.  
  
"With what?" Mrs. Weasley said evasively.  
  
"The Order," Ron said. He noticed that everyone else had fallen silent and were watching the conversation like a tennis match, turning their heads back and forth from one speaker to another. He shifted uncomfortably in his seat and looked back at his mother.  
  
"No dear," said Mrs. Weasley, "Nothing at all."  
  
"We're not babies you know," Ginny pipped up.  
  
"Yes I know," Mrs. Weasley said looking rather ruffled. "Arthur, tell them nothing happened."  
  
Mr. Weasley set down his fork and cleared his throat, "Nothing happened," he said, but his face said otherwise.  
  
"Oh come off it," said Fred.  
  
"They're not stupid," said George.  
  
"And you guys are terrible liars," added Fred.  
  
"Absolutely dreadful," agreed George.  
  
"Just tell them already."  
  
"They're bound to find out anyway."  
  
"Now that's enough out of you two!" Mrs. Weasley scolded furiously, "And I forbid you to tell them!"  
  
"Mum," Bill said, "They're right you know, they aren't babies and they deserve to know."  
  
"And why do they deserve to know?" demanded Mrs. Weasley.  
  
"Because you know that they'll do something stupid to try and find out if you don't tell them," Charlie said with a wry smile.  
  
"Don't encourage them Charlie," Mrs. Weasley said.  
  
"Mum, we're sixteen, I think we can handle it," said Ron.  
  
Mrs. Weasley sighed in defeat, "Alright," she said, "Tell them Arthur."  
  
Mr. Weasley cleared his throat, "There was a bit of a ruckus at the ministry today," he said, "Nothing big, just enough to cause a stir."  
  
"What happened?" Harry asked, he looked very interested all of a sudden. "Did someone try to get into the Department of Mysteries again?"  
  
Mr. Weasley hesitated, "As a matter of fact, they did," he said. "How did you know?"  
  
"I can still sense Voldemort's emotions, remember?" said Harry, "I felt that he was happy about something all afternoon."  
  
"Well he should be," Mr. Weasley said, he still looked unnerved. "Someone managed to get in and steal some important documents about.......someone."  
  
Ron's eyebrows rose at the statement; Mr. Weasley clearly didn't want them knowing who that someone was but Ron had a feeling he knew all too well. He also could've sworn that he saw his father's eyes flick in Harry's direction.  
  
"You mean the ministry keeps records about everyone?" asked Hermione, looking shocked. "I thought that was just a myth!"  
  
"No, it's true," Mr. Weasley said. "Well, partially at least."  
  
"Who did they steal information about then?" asked Ginny.  
  
"It wasn't just one person," Mr. Weasley said slowly, "They stole information about a few people actually."  
  
"Anyone we know?" Ron asked, trying to keep his voice casual.  
  
Mr. Weasley hesitated and looked down the table at his wife, who sighed and nodded for him to continue.  
  
"I'm sure you've already guessed that they stole information regarding Harry," he said, "But they also stole information about Sirius-"  
  
Ron noticed Harry started in surprise at this and he knew why. Why would someone want information about someone who was already dead?  
  
"-Tonks," continued Mr. Weasley, "Remus, Dumbledore, Minerva McGonagall, Fillus Flitwick, Sybill Trewlawny-"  
  
Ron heard Hermione snort at the last name and had to smile.  
  
"-a few other members of the Order, Neville Longbottom-"  
  
Ron frowned, why would anyone want information about Neville?  
  
"-and all of the rest of us here tonight," Mr. Weasley finished slowly.  
  
"WHAT?!" Ron yelled.  
  
"Shush Ron!" Mrs. Weasley said frantically, "Keep it down!"  
  
"Why would anyone want to know about us?" Ginny asked, she looked nervous.  
  
"Well we are Harry's friends," Hermione said slowly, "I suppose that would be the main reason for it."  
  
Ron looked over at Harry who had become intensely fascinated with the his food. Ron frowned, he had a feeling that Harry didn't too great at the moment.  
  
_It's all his fault,_ a nasty little voice said in Ron's head. _He's the one Voldemort's after so why not just hand him over and settle it that way?  
_  
_It's more then that and you know it!_ argued Ron, _Even if we did hand him over to Voldemort, which we would never do, that wouldn't stop him. Voldemort won't stop until someone kills him or he takes control of the world.  
_  
"Maybe I should leave," Harry said as he looked up. "It's me he's after, if I'm not here he wouldn't have a reason to come looking for you."  
  
"Don't be stupid Harry," said Ron. He'd recognized that look in Harry's eye; it was the same look he'd had after Sirius had died-a look of guilt.  
  
"You're going to stay right here," Mrs. Weasley said, "And you don't need to worry about a thing."  
  
"Yeah," said Charlie, "It's not like Voldemort's going to come busting through the door at any second."  
  
There was some uneasy laughter, but Ron saw that he wasn't the only one who looked uneasily at the door.  
  
"Besides," Bill added, "Even if he did come here we'd beat him."  
  
"I talked to Dumbledore today," Mr. Weasley said, "He said that you are to remain with us until school starts or something big comes up so don't worry about it."  
  
"What about everyone else?" asked Harry.  
  
"They will be given warning so you needn't concern yourself with that," Mrs. Weasley reassured him. "See?" she said rounding on he elder sons, "This is exactly why I didn't want to tell them!"  
  
"Yes, but now they won't do anything stupid," said Fred.  
  
"Well," George said, "They probably will, but at least they'll have a better understanding of the risks."  
  
"Don't even joke about that you two," Mrs. Weasley said furiously. "I have enough to deal with without you two egging Harry and Ron on to do something stupid. At least they have Hermione to talk some sense into them."  
  
Ron grinned and looked at Harry who rolled his eyes and grinned back. Little did Mrs. Weasley realize that Hermione wasn't always the cautious one. Hermione gave the two a warning look and they stopped smiling, realizing this was neither the time nor the place for such foolishness.  
  
The rest of the dinner was a rather subdued affair, which didn't surprise Ron one bit. It was only when they were clearing the dishes away that he thought of something.  
  
"Did the take informaiton on Percy?" he asked Mr. Weasley.  
  
Mr. Weasley looked surprised, "Why do you ask?" he said.  
  
"Just curious," Ron replied casually.  
  
"No, as a matter of fact they didn't," Mr. Weasley replied neutrally. "But our family rift is a well known affair, particulary inside the ministry."  
  
"Oh," Ron said. He looked over and saw that Hermione was watching with interest and had obviously heard the answer. She frowned and Ron could see the gears were already turning in her head.  
  
Once the remnants of dinner had been cleared away, Ron, Harry and Hermione retreated up into Ron's room. Ron opened the door and was greeted by Pig's shrill hooting as the tiny owl zoomed about in his cage.  
  
"Stupid owl," Ron said as he rolled his eyes and walked over. He pulled a bag of Owl Treats out of the cupboard and shoved some between the bars before flopping down on his bed.  
  
Harry followed suit and flopped down on his own bed while Hermione settled herself on Ron's desk chair.  
  
"So that was definitely interesting, to say the least," Hermione said slowly, and Ron noticed she cast a nervous look in Harry's direction.  
  
"Yep," Harry agreed, and Ron noticed a hint of what sounded like bitterness in his friends voice.  
  
"At least they trusted us enough to tell us something this time," Ron said, "Only took them a couple of years."  
  
Harry snorted, "No kidding," he agreed.  
  
"I wonder why they took information on Neville," Hermione said, her brow furrowed in thought. "It doesn't make any sense that if they're going to take information on our school friends why he would be the only one."  
  
"Actually it makes perfect sense," Harry said.  
  
"How so?" asked Ron with raised eyebrows as he sat up straight. He had suspected that Dumbledore had told Harry more than his friend had let on but hadn't wanted to press for more information.  
  
Harry sat up to look at his two friends, and for a fleeting moments Ron could've sworn that someone else looked at him from behind Harry's bright green eyes. He shrugged it off though, figuring he'd just imagined it.  
  
"Well I guess I should tell you what the prophecy said first of all," Harry said.  
  
"Harry, the prophecy smashed," Hermione said slwoly. "How would you know what it said?"  
  
"Dumbledore heard the prophecy when Trewlawny said it," Harry replied.  
  
"Trewlawny?" Ron said dubiously.  
  
"Yep," Harry said with a strained smile, "Believe it or not she's actually made two real prophecies."  
  
"So what did it say then?" Hermione asked delicately.  
  
Harry cleared his throat and thought a minute before he spoke. _"The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord approaches...born to those who have thrice defied him, born as the seventh month dies...and the Dark Lord will mark him as his equal, but he will have a power the Dark Lord knows not.."_ Harry recited. He hesitated and then continued but he had lowered his voice so that Ron and Hermione had to strain to hear it, _"and either must die at the hand of the other for neither can live while the other survives...the one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord will be born as the seventh month dies..."_ his voice trailed off.  
  
"Harry..." Hermione said quietly, "But I don't understand, how does Neville fit into it?"  
  
"Neville's birthday is at the end of July too," Harry explained. "And his parents, like mine, defied Voldemort three times."  
  
"So Neville could really be the one who will get rid of Voldemort?" Ron said with a frown. It was true Neville had greatly improved his skills in the past year thanks to the DA, but the thought that he was the only one who could save the world was a bit unnerving.  
  
"That's what I thought at first too," Harry said. "But Voldemort thought I was more of a threat so he marked me 'as his equal' and in doing so made it clear that I was the one the prophecy refered to. One of his spies heard the beginning of the prophecy but they were discovered and thrown out before it was finished. Dumbledore used his Pensieve and showed me the prophecy."  
  
"Bloody hell," muttered Ron.  
  
Hermione bit her lip and looked up at Harry. "What does it mean when it says _'and either must die at the hand of the other for neither can live while the other survives'_?" she asked looking concerned.  
  
Ron breathed in sharply, he hadn't been listening closely enough and had somehow missed that bit of information.  
  
Harry smiled slightly, but it was not a happy smile, "Ah yes, of course you would remember word for word," he said, and something about about the way he said it made the hair on the back of Ron's neck prickle. Harry sighed and his shoulders slumped, "It means that in the end I'll either become a murderer or........ I'll be killed."  
  
Ron wanted to laugh because it sounded so absurd but he knew that Harry wouldn't make up something this serious. Hermione had gasped in shock and looked rather pale, almost as if she would faint at any second.  
  
"Oh Harry..." Hermione said as she got up and moved so that she was seated beside Harry. "No wonder you were so depressed at end of term! I thought it was only because of Sirius but this.....oh god, this is horrible! But don't worry, Ron and I will help you as much as we can and you can always talk to us about anything, right Ron?"  
  
"Yeah, yeah, of course," Ron said.  
  
"Don't you understand?" Harry yelled suddenly as he stood up. "You guys can't help! I'm the only one who cans top him! No one else can! Not you, not the Order, not even Dumbledore! Only I can!"  
  
"And you will," Hermione said, her voice a soothing calm. "We'll help as much as we can but you're right, it will come down to just you. We can help you prepare though and we can give you moral support that will give you the strength you need to make it."  
  
Harry's fury visibly began to drain away as Hermione continued.  
  
"We understand that there's only so much we can do," she said, "But let us do what we can, don't push us away, OK Harry?"  
  
Harry nodded, "Yeah," he said, "You guys can help, I think I'll be needing a lot of help actually." He smiled slightly, and this time it was genuine. "It will be like when you guys helped me get ready for the Triwizard Tournament."  
  
"Yeah," Hermione said with a laugh, "I guess so."  
  
_Only this time it's even more serious,_ Ron thought. _And not just some stupid competition.  
_  
Although, in truth, the Triwizard Tournament had turned into more than just a 'stupid competition' when, at the final task, Harry had been transported to the graveyard where Voldemort regained his body. Ron knew this, but he still felt that it would be harder to prepare for the final battle knowing that only one of the people involved would walk away alive.  
  
"Just don't do anything stupid, alright?" Ron said, "And don't think you have to 'protect' us or anything, we get enough of that from everyone else."  
  
Harry grinned, "Alright," he said, "But only if you promise not to anything stupid either."  
  
"I won't if you won't," Ron said with a smile.  
  
"So it's agreed," Hermione said, she was smiling now too. "No one can act stupid otherwise it entitles the other two to act stupid as well."  
  
"I guess so," said Harry.  
  
There was a long awkward silence.  
  
"So..." Ron said casually, "What do we do now?" He noticed Harry grinned.  
  
"Well, have your brothers told you anything else about what's going on in the Order lately?" asked Hermione. "I get the feeling Fred and George might have let some things slip that weren't safe to put in a letter."  
  
Ron nodded, "Yeah, a few things accidently slipped out," he said.  
  
"Such as...?" prompted Harry.  
  
"Well the ministry decided to get rid of the Dementors right?" Ron said.  
  
"Yeah, it was in the _Prophet_," said Hermione.  
  
"Well, people from the ministry went and did all sorts of spells all over Azkaban to make it impenetrable to Voldemort's forces," said Ron. "The only problem is they still need to have guards and they're very leery about trusting people and creatures."  
  
"Well all the have to do is check for the Dark Mark," said Harry.  
  
"Not anymore," Ron said, "Voldemort did something to the marks that makes them less obvious or something."  
  
"How do they know that?" asked Hermione.  
  
"Well they have all those Death Eaters in Azkaban don't they?" said Ron. "Apparently even the Dark Marks on imprisioned Death Eaters have disappeared."  
  
"So who's guarding Azkaban then?" asked Hermione.  
  
Ron shrugged, "I'm not sure," he said, "But it's been a big mess."  
  
"Well no wonder," Hermione said. "Dumbledore's right, they should've never trusted the Dementors."  
  
"They say anything else?" asked Harry.  
  
Ron shrugged, "Not really," he said, "Voldemort's still lying low so not much has been going on."  
  
"I find that interesting," Hermione said. "I would've thought that with his cover blown Voldemort would be out rampaging all over the country."  
  
"Same," said Ron.  
  
"It makes sense though," Harry said thoughtfully, "I mean, he still doesn't have all his strength back and his forces are rather lacking in numbers. He's probably going to try and recruit people first, maybe that's why he stole information on people."  
  
"He didn't take information on Percy," Ron said.  
  
Harry's eyebrows rose in surprise. "Really?" he said, "I thought you guys reconciled with him."  
  
"We did," said Ron. "Dad said it was probably because everyone pretty much knows about the fight but I think there might be something else to it."  
  
"You think your own brother might join Voldemort?" Hermione asked, she looked sceptical.  
  
"All I'm saying is that it's possible," said Ron. "I don't know, Percy's ambitious and he's always seemed kind of....well, _odd_."  
  
"Yes but evil?" Hermione said. "I'm sorry Ron but I just don't see it."  
  
Harry looked thoughtful, "I know this is going to sound egotistical, but did he mention me perhaps?" he asked.  
  
Ron frowned, "Yeah actually, well sort of anyway," Ron said. "He came over for dinner last week and I think Charlie said something about you and Percy didn't seem to pleased."  
  
"What'd he say?" asked Harry.  
  
"I don't think he said anything," Ron said, "He just kind of sat there looking mad about something. At the time I thought he was just being typical Percy with a pole up his-"  
  
"Ron!" Hermione interupted.  
  
"What? It's true," Ron said defensively. "I could just be imagining it though. After all, he's always been a bit of a git."  
  
Harry laughed, "I'll have to agree with you there," he said. "Out of all your brothers I like him the...." but he didn't finish his sentence because suddenly he gripped his scar and fell to the floor convulsing and screaming in pain.

* * *

Yes, I know, I'm evil for writing a cliffie but I've never done that before and this seemed like the perfect time to have one. Well anyway, this was a nice little foreshadowing chapter and yes I am aware that I drifted away from the Ron/Hermione plot-line but this isn't just some cute little fluffy story because it does take place the summer after their fifth year. I don't like the beginning of this chapter much but all in all I'm pretty happy with it. Anywho, please review and hopefully I'll update soon!  
  
-Megan


	5. Someone Else

**Disclaimer:** Harry Potter and all associtated characters do not belong to me but instead belong to J. K. Rowling.

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**Author's Note:** Happy Canada Day everyone! Sorry about the wait but I've had job training all this week so I can be a camp counsellor this summer. The good news is I get Fridays off because the I'm a playground leader and the playgrounds don't run those days, plus I get the last two weeks of August off too. I'll probably be posting on Fridays now, mostly because because I won't be able to write much during the week due to work, soccer and refing. I'm sure most of you have guessed what might happen in this chapter but hopefully I'll surprise you a little bit. Thanks to all of my reviewers:  
  
**WindWriter17**-Yeah, I know, I'm terrible for rushing things, especially the endings of chapters but I really want to update fast so that you guys keep reading! Glad to know I'm getting better with the commas though, thanks!  
  
**Elmindrea-al'Thor**-I warned you that I was evil though-lol. It's good to know that there's no hard feelings about it though. Tahnks for the review though!  
  
**The Nauti-Dolphin**-Thanks for the compliament! I really like how J.K. Rowling writes so I try to adapt her style to fit my own writing style to improve. I'm not a fluffy/cutesy kind of person so it's harder for me to write that kind of stuff so I like having an edge to my writing. Thanks for reviewing!  
  
**Pirate-Lib**-Wow! You think it picks up right where OotP left off? That's awesome! Thanks for the review!

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**Chapter 5: Someone Else**

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"Bloody hell!" Ron swore, as he rushed forward. "What's wrong mate?" he asked, but Harry continued thrashing about wildly and yelling in pain as he gripped his scar.  
  
"Harry!" Hermione said, as she knelt down next to Harry as close as she dared, just out of reach of his flailing arms. "Harry, what's wrong?"  
  
"Out.......get out!" Harry yelled, ignoring his two friends.  
  
Hermione looked up at Ron, "Voldemort," she whispered.  
  
"What do we do?" Ron asked. Never before had he felt so powerless to help his friend.  
  
"We get help," Hermione said calmly, but Ron heard a slight quiver in her voice when she spoke.  
  
Suddenly, Harry stopped convulsing and lay perfectly still on his back, his eyes closed, but his breathing was shallow and raspy.  
  
"Harry?" Hermione said tentatively, as she reached forward to touch him, but Ron stopped her.  
  
"Something's not right," he said in a low voice.  
  
A high-pitched and cruel laughter sounded, making the hair on the back of Ron's neck stand on end. He looked and saw Harry getting to his feet, a sinister smile on his best friend's face. Somehow he knew for certain that the person who looked back at him was not Harry.  
  
"Harry......" Hermione began, her eyes wide in confusion.  
  
"That's not Harry," Ron said, as he pulled Hermione to her feet and moved slightly in front of her.  
  
"Very good little Weasley," Harry said, his voice was a low hiss that Ron recognized all too well.  
  
"What do you want?" Ron demanded, his voice calmer then he felt. He thought fast and decided that for now all he could do was keep Voldemort talking. Someone was bound to come investigate what all the noise had been about soon and if he could keep Voldemort distratced.......  
  
Harry laughed again, "I should think that would be obvious," he replied. He drew his wand casually from his pocket and studied it. "So like my own," he murmered, "Or has little Potter never told you? If only he'd........well, we shall deal with that later. But first..." he raised the wand and pointed it at Ron who gulped.  
  
At that precise moment, the door opened and Ginny poked her head in.  
  
"What's going on in here?" she asked.  
  
"Ah yes," Harry said, as he lowered his wand slightly. "The littlest Weasley. Do come in and join us."  
  
"You!" Ginny said, her eyes narrowed angrily and Ron remembered how his sister had been posessed by Voldemort in her first year at Hogwarts. "I'd recognize that voice anywhere, _Tom_." There was an emphasis on 'Tom' that clearly stated that Ginny wanted to piss him off. Ron rolled his eyes, why couldn't Ginny be a bit more cautious sometimes?  
  
Harry's eyes narrowed dangerously, and Ron felt felt Hermione grip his hand.  
  
"It's Lord Voldemort," hissed Harry, "and you would do well to remember that in the little time you have left." He pointed his wand at Ginny, "Crucio!"  
  
Ginny jumped back, and the curse hit the doorframe instead. With a loud crash, a good portion of the door was blown backwards into the hallway.  
  
In an instant, Ron had leapt forward, tackling Harry to the ground.  
  
"Ron!" screamed Hermione, as he struggled to pin Harry down.  
  
"You fool!" Harry shouted as he and Ron struggled on the floor.  
  
"I'm really sorry about this Harry," Ron said, as he fought to keep Harry down, "But I don't have much choice." He pulled back his arm and punched Harry in the face, giving him a bloody nose.  
  
Stunned, Harry stopped struggling for a few seconds, giving Ron time to wrestle the wand frew from Harry's grasp and throw it to Hermione. Ron then grabbed both of Harry's arms and pinned them to the ground.  
  
"I know you're still in there Harry," Ron said, "We'll get him out, don't worry."  
  
Harry laughed, "No you won't," he said, "Harry's gone."  
  
"No, he's not," said a voice from the doorway, and Ron turned to see Dumbledore standing there.  
  
Ron looked at Hermione and Ginny, noticing they looked as shocked as he felt. How had Dumbledore known to come?  
  
Dumbledore walked over and knelt down, wand at the ready. "Tom, it's time for you to go," he said calmly. "Bannire Alkoran."  
  
A red glow surrounded Harry, and his skin grew hot under Ron's touch. Harry shoke violently for a few seconds and a low hiss issued from his mouth as a smokey vapour rose into the air then vanished. Slowly, the glow disappeared, and Harry's muscles began to relax as he slumped. His eyes closed but his breathing returned to normal, which Ron took to be a good sign.  
  
"We need to take him to St. Mugo's," Dumbledore said, "As I recall, your parents recently purchased a new car to replace that infamous Ford Anglina, correct?"  
  
Ron nodded mutely as he stood up.  
  
"Then we shall take him by car," Dumbledore said. He conjured up a stretcher which lifted Harry up a few feet off of the ground. "We must hurry though," Dumbledore continued, "I am almost positive that Voldemort is already on his way to stop us."  
  
He headed out the door with the stretcher trailing behind him. Ginny hesitated for a moment then also followed. Ron looked over at Hermione, who's shoulders had slumped forward, and who looked in desperate need of reassurance.  
  
"Come on Hermione," Ron said, as he took her hand in his, "He'll be alright but he'll want us to be there when he wakes up."  
  
Hermione nodded and managed a weak smile, "Yeah," she said, "Let's go."  
  
The two followed the others down the stairs, hand in hand and in silence.  
  
"Albus!" Mrs. Weasley exclaimed in surprise, as the group entered the kitchen. "But what...?"  
  
Dumledore held up his hand to stop her, "Molly, we need to get Harry to St. Mungo's immediately," he said, "There will be a time for explanations later."  
  
Mrs. Weasley nodded, "Of course," she said, but Ron noticed she looked even more worried then she had earlier in the evening. "Arthur," she said, "Get the car, I'll tell the other boys and we'll meet you there."  
  
Mr. Weasley nodded, "This way," he said, as he led the group outside to the shed where the car was kept. He opened the doors and Dumbledore lifted Harry inside, allowing Hermione and Ron to slide in on either side of him, before turning as if to walk away.  
  
Harry's eyes fluttered open, "Voldemort..." he said frantically, but his voice was weak, "Plan..."  
  
Dumbledore stopped in his tracks and turned around. "Pardon?" he said.  
  
"Voldemort wants to...he wants to..." Harry started then moaned as he held his head, "Ministry records didn't help enough...he needs you."  
  
Dumbledore frowned, "Well we'll sort that out later," he said, "Right now you need treatment." He slid into the front passenger seat next to Ginny and Mr. Weasley got in the driver's seat.  
  
Ron looked over at Harry, who smiled slightly.  
  
"You gave me a bloody nose," Harry said, "I'll get you back some day."  
  
Ron laughed, "I doubt it," he said.  
  
"That's what you think," Harry said.  
  
"Harry, I really think you should save your strength," said Hermione.  
  
Harry sighed, "Alright Hermione," he said, as he closed his eyes, "You win."  
  
The rest of the trip was silent and when the pulled up next to St. Mungo's, the group piled out of the car in a hurry. Ron and Mr. Weasley helped support Harry up the steps to what appeared to be a muggle department store called Purge & Dowse Ltd. that was closed for renovations. However, in reality, the store was just an illusion that hid St. Mungo's Hospital.  
  
Once the group had entered the reception area, Dumbledore led the way over to the front desk.  
  
"I'd like to speak to Healer Kassandra Lorusso," he said to the witch who was sitting behind the desk. "She'll be expecting me."  
  
"Indeed I am," said a witch who had suddenly appeared to they're left. She looked to be in her mid-thirties and had long, curly black hair that was pulled back in a bright green clip that matched her lime-green work robes. Her blue-gray eyes studied the group for a moment and fell on Harry. "Hello Harry," she said, "My name is Kassandra Lorusso, I'm a specialist healer in unusual ailments."  
  
"Good," Harry said, "Because I think what I have is a very unusual ailment."  
  
Healer Lorusso chuckled, "So I've heard," she said, "Well, we'll take you up for examinations and we'll get you a private room, but first, a wheelchair would be a good idea I think."  
  
A wheelchair rolled over from the far wall and Ron helped Harry take a seat.  
  
"The rest of you are welcome to stay here," said Healer Lorusso. "It shouldn't take that long and I'll send someone down to get you when Harry is settled into his room. Professor Dumbledore, if you'd kindly come with me and Harry. "  
  
As she led Harry and Dumbledore away, the others took their seats.  
  
"Now all we can do is wait," Mr. Weasley said. "But Healer Lorusso is internationally famous for her work with similar ailments so Harry's in good hands."  
  
"So I've read," Hermione said.  
  
_Leave it to Hermione to read everything possible,_ Ron thought with a slight smile.  
  
"I hate waiting," Ginny said.  
  
Just then, Mrs. Weasley came rushing in, Bill, Charlie, Fred and George close behind her.  
  
"Where is he? What's wrong?" Mrs. Weasley asked.  
  
"They've taken him up to be examined," said Mr. Weasley, "Dumbledore went with him."  
  
"What happened though?" Mrs. Weasley asked.  
  
Everyone looked at Ron and Hermione.  
  
"Um....well.....er....." Ron said, "Maybe you should tell them Hermione."  
  
Hermione sighed, "Oh, alright," she said. "We, Harry, Ron and I that is, were upstairs in Ron's room talking when Harry suddenly grabbed his scar. He started yelling and trashing about like mad then he just sort of stopped. I thought maybe it was just him having another vision or something but when he got up he was being posessed by Voldemort. Then Ginny came in to see what all the noise was about but when Voldemort tried to curse her he missed. That's when Ron tackled him to the ground and pinned him down. Professor Dumbledore suddenly appeared a few seconds later and he did some sort of bannishment charm to got rid of Voldemort."  
  
"Bloody hell!" said the twins.  
  
"Don't swear!" scolded their mother. "But Harry's alright now, right?"  
  
"Well, he woke up when we were putting him in the car," Ron said slowly. "He was talking and stuff and seems OK, just tired."  
  
"Oh thank goodness," Mrs. Weasley said as she sank down into a nearby chair.  
  
Everyone sat down and prepared themselves to wait for a very long time.

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OK, so that's it everyone! Once again I apologize for the wait, but there's only so much I can do to work around that. I have to get up at like 6 o'clock in the morning now for work so I don't want to be up late writing. I could've made it a bit longer chapter but it would've been boring. There's a wee bit of foreshadowing in this chapter but just little tiny hints of what may happen because nothing's set in stone yet. I've expanded on my outline but I'll have to change it now because originally this chapter was part of the previous chapter and Harry wasn't actually going to get posessed. This is another rushed chapter so I'm sorry if there's lots of grammar and spelling mistakes. When I get a chance I'm going to go back and edit every single chapter but that probably won't be for awhile. Anywho, please review because constructive criticism is very helpful and even just hearing that you like my story is great because it gives me more reason to write. Thanks everyone!  
  
-Megan 


	6. Many Questions, Few Answers

Disclaimer: Harry Potter and all associtated characters and things do not belong to me.

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Hey everyone!  I've had an extremely busy week with work (both being a cousellor and referee) and soccer but I had today off so that was good.  I ended up cleaning my room a little and doing some other stuff and have so far managed to update 2 of my other stories this weekend!  I needed to wait for some inspiration though before I started on this one but I found my muse lurking in the corner of room next to my soccer bag so here goes nothing!  Thanks again to all my reviewers!  I hope you all enjoy this chapter!

The Nauti Dolphin-I'm glad my story put you in a good mood!  Hope everything works out for you, it sucks when you get into fights.

shedoc10-You read my story at work???  Wow, you sound like me when I read fanfiction at school!

Pirate-Lib-Thanks for the review!

jen-You are certainly one of a kind-lol!  And I don't think I'm that good of a writer, I just wish I was.

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**Chapter 6: Many Questions, Few Answers**

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The Weasley family and Hermione had been waiting in the lobby of St. Mungo's for nearly an hour before Dumbledore reappeared, his long dark blue robes swirling around him as he walked.

Ron raised his head as Dumbledore approached the group, and his mother stood up from her chair.

"Albus, how's Harry?  Is he any better?" Mrs. Weasley asked, she looked-if it was even possible-more concerned then she had earlier.

Dumbledore smiled, but there was a strange look in his eye.

"Yes Molly," he said, "Harry is feeling much better and is settling into his room as we speak."

"Oh thank goodness!" Mrs. Weasley said, and everyone else looked just as relieved.

Ron's stomach finally unclenched and he breathed a sigh of relief.  Harry had pulled through bad scrapes before this so if he was feeling better already it could only mean that he would recover soon.

"Can we go see him?" asked Ron.

Dumbledore nodded, "Yes," he said, "Follow me."

The group rose to their feet and followed Dumbledore down the hallway to the elevator.  He pushed the button and the lift clattered into view and the grilles slid open to admit them.  They crowded on and when Dumbledore selected the button grilles slid back in front of them.  When the lift stopped at the fourth floor, the group shuffled out and then down the hallway after Dumbledore.  He stopped and opened the third door on their right to the _Vincent Greenblatt Ward_.  A little card on the door read _Healer: Kassandra Larusso_.  The group filed in and found themselves in a short corridor with four doors, two on each side.  Dumbledore led them through the first on on their left, room number 435, and as they filed into the room, which was surprsingly spacious, Ron saw Harry, sitting in bed, propped up by several pillows, talking to Healer Larusso.

"Hi guys," Harry said when he caught sight of them in the doorway.  He was smiling but Ron sensed the tension in his friend's voice.

"Oh Harry!" Mrs. Weasley exclaimed, as she hurried forward and hugged Harry tightly.  "You poor dear!  Are you feeling alright?  Maybe we should let you sleep and come back later."

"No I'm fine Mrs. Weasley, thanks," Harry said.

Ron saw Healer Larusso and Dumbledore exchange significant looks, which all to plainly said that everything was not fine.

"Do you know what's wrong?" Hermione asked, a look of curiousity on her face.  "I mean to say, how Voldemort-"

There was  sharp intake of breath from Mrs. Weasley but other than that, no one made a sound.

"-posessed Harry," Hermione finished.

Healer Larusso looked at Harry, as if to ask if he wanted the group to know.  Harry nodded so she turned back to the group.

Healer Larusso cleared her throat, "Well," she said, "We think that the reason it happened was because Voldemort was nearby."

Gasps of shock greeted this statement.

"You mean Voldemort was near the Burrow?" Ron asked.

"But that's impossible!" said Fred.

"Yeah!" agreed George, "Why would he be near our house?"

"It's very simple," Hermione cut in, "Voldemort must have some means of tracking Harry's where abouts."

Dumbledore nodded grimly, "That is correct," he said.  "For the time being Harry will be safe here, but as soon as he can be moved, all of you will go into hiding until school starts in September."

"But I have to be at Gringotts……" Bill started.

"And I'll be expected at work as well," Mr. Weasley said.

"Me too," added Charlie.

"Then we shall figure out details later," Dumbledore said.  "However, it is very important that all of you are safe from harm."

"But how come Voldemort managed to stay in Harry's body?" Hermione asked, "In June he couldn't bare to it for that long."

Healer Larusso frowned slightly, "We're not sure," she replied.  "We think that perhaps he has started using spells or potions of some kind instead of just his mind."

"You're OK now though, right?" Ron said as he looked over at Harry.

"Better then I was," replied Harry, but on closer inspection he still appeared very pale and every so often he would twitch slightly.

Ron frowned slightly; there were many things he wanted to ask Harry, but he didn't dare with so many other people present.  One glance at Hermione told him she felt the same way.

"I need to run a few more tests in the morning," Healer Larusso said, "and Harry needs his sleep."

"Yes, of course," Mrs. Weasley said hurriedly.  "Come on you lot, we'd better get home then.  Goodnight Harry."

"Yeah, night Harry."

"Sleep well."

"You'll feel better in the morning."

"Unless of course you have creepy nightmares again."

"George!" scolded Mrs. Weasley.

"What?  It's true!"

Everyone but Mrs. Weasley laughed, even Harry, although his laugh and smile had become rather strained.  Ron had a feeling Harry was dreading sleep for just that reason-the dreams in which he was Voldemort.

"Well with this potion he should have a dreamless sleep," Healer Larusso said as she poured a silver liquid from a flask she had retrieved from a near by cupboard.  She handed Harry a cup full of the stuff which he took gratefully.

"Thanks," Harry said.

"You're welcome," Healer Larusso said.  "Now drink up quickly, if that stays out in open air too long it starts to thin."

"Well, goodnight everbody," Harry said.

Ron and Hermione lagged behind a little.

"Remember your Occlumency," Hermione said in a low voice, "You have to clear your mind of all thought and emotion."

"Give the guy a break Hermione," Ron said, "He's got a potion for a dreamless sleep so he's got nothing to worry about."

"Yeah," Harry said, "Plus I took some other potions when I got here that are supposed to protect me or something, so I have nothing to worry about."

"Oh!" Hermione said excitedly, "Did you take the _Hirundo Bantu_ potion?"

"Uh, yeah actually," Harry said looking surprised.

Healer Larusso also looked surprised, "You know about the _Hirundo Bantu_ potion?" she asked.

"I read about it last year in _Modern Miracle Potions of Healing_," Hermione explained.  "For awhile I was seriously considering becoming a healer when I left school but now I've decided to be an Auror."

"Really?" Healer Larusso said, "What a shame, I have a feeling you would've made a spledid healer."

"Miss Granger is our top student at Hogwarts," Dumbledore said foundly.  "She has had the highest marks of her class since the minute she stepped foot through the doorway."

Hermione flushed, "That's not true," she said, "Harry's always done better then me in defence against the dark arts."

"This is true," Dumbledore said thoughtfully, his blue eyes twinkling as he looked over at Harry who had flushed crimson like Hermione.  "But you are still one of the best students Hogwarts has ever seen."

"Thank you Professor," mumbled a very embarassed Hermione.

Ron grinned and looked at Harry who grinned back.

"Well I'd best be off," Dumbledore said, "Goodnight everyone."

"Goodnight."

Dumbledore strode out of the room and down the hallway.

"Guess we'll see you tomorrow then," Ron said to Harry.

"Yeah," Harry said, "Night then."

"Night."

"Goodnight Harry."

"Are you two coming or not?" Fred asked as he poked his head through the doorway.  "Mum's getting angry about waiting for you two."

"Alright, alright, we're coming," Ron said as he and Hermione hurried after Fred.

But as they were leaving, and Healer Larusso was busy mixing another potion with her back to Harry, no one noticed Harry's eyes change from green to red for a split second.

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So that's it everyone!  Sorry it was a bit short but this seemed like a good place to end it.  The next chapter looks like it will be a bit longer but I can't guarntee anything.  There's a little bit of foreshadowing in this chapter but not too much.  The thing about foreshadowing is-well, to be honest-I'm not very good at it.  Sometimes I hint at stuff and then decide not to use it later on.  Anywho, please review with any constructive critisim or even just to say you liked it.  I'm not very satisfied with this chapter but it sets the next one up so I had to have it.  Well, that's about it!  Ciao!

-Megan


	7. A Midnight Surprise

Disclaimer: Harry Potter and all associted characters do not belong to me.

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Hey everyone! Sorry about not updating last weekend-I wasn't home all weekend because I was at my granny's house. Anywho, thanks to all my reviewers yet again! You have no idea how much I appreciate your support!  
  
Misteria Evans: Thanks for the review! And I promise, there's lots more Ron/Hermione stuff coming up! This chapter is FULL of it!  
  
JeN: You have got to be kidding me. Yes Jen, Voldemort is going to come busting into St. Mungo's and take over. (Can you sense the sarcasm???) If you're going to look for foreshadowing you're going to have to do better then that!  
  
Pirate-Lib: You're feeding my ego again-lol! To be honest it's hard for me to write fluffy/romance type stuff because it's just not me. I took a stab at it in this chapter though, I figured it was time for Ron and Hermione to quit kidding themselves.  
  
Hope everyone enjoys the next chapter! I've re-written this chapter about three times now because I keep changing my mind about what I want to happen. First it was going to be just a 'fluff' chapter, then it was going to be a big climatic suspense chapter and now it's about half and half. I had the whole thing written out on paper but have since completely changed my mind and I'm only using it for reference now. I'm thinking this will be cliffie chapter though but it depends. I think I'll just see what happens and let the story take on a mind of its own.

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**Chapter 7: A Midnight Surprise**

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Upon returning from St. Mungo's, the Weasley family and Hermione said their goodnights before heading off to bed, thoroughly exhausted.  
  
Since it was a warm night Ron decided to sleep in only his shorts. However, he made a mental note to throw on a shirt before going down to breakfast the next morning because the last thing he wanted to do was embarrass himself in front of Hermione. It was one thing to walk around shirtless in front of family or at the beach, but another matter entirely to do it in front of company-especially if that company included the girl you fancied.  
  
Ron turned off the lights and crawled into bed, pushing the covers down as he did so. He lay staring up at the dark ceiling for what seemed like ages, but sleep wouldn't come. The house was quiet except for the normal creaks and groans that were commanplace in an old house like the Burrow. The sky outside was pitch black as the moon and stars were obscured by clouds in a most ominous way, unnerving an already uneasy Ron. With Voldemort lurking near by Ron was quite uncomfortable enough and the weather was not helping matters.  
  
_I should've asked for some of that dreamless sleep potion,_ Ron thought miserably as he rolled over on his back. His eyes ached from exhaustion but still sleep would not come.  
  
The minutes ticked by slowly until Ron couldn't take it anymore. A quick glance at the clock told him it was 12:16am.  
  
_I should get something to eat, that usually helps._  
  
With a sigh, Ron heaved himself out of bed and padded barefoot across the room to the door. He cracked it open to listen for a moment. Hearing nothing, he proceeded downstairs to the kitchen.  
  
Ron opened the fridge and peered inside. He was still rummaging around when someone coughed from behind him, making him spin around so fast he nearly dropped the pitcher of milk he was holding.  
  
"Guess I wasn't the only one who couldn't sleep," Hermione said with a smile as she walked over.  
  
"Guess not," Ron said.  
  
Hermione's eyes darted lower, lingering for a minute on Ron's bare chest. "Warm night eh?" she sad.  
  
"What?" said a startled Ron, "Oh, yeah..."  
  
Ron suddenly had a strong urge to disappear through the floor as he flushed scarlet with embaressment.  
  
"I'm used to only having family around and mostly being around guys," he said defensively, as he set the milk down on the counter and closed the fridge.  
  
"Well, it's no big deal," Hermione said, "It's just I always thought of you as a bit shy and it surprised me, that's all."  
  
"Shy? Moi?" Ron said in mock surprise.  
  
"Yes you," Hermione said.  
  
"OK, yeah I'm pretty shy sometimes but I've been training for Quidditch and I like shoving off my abs now," Ron said with a grin.  
  
Hermione surveyed him, "Not bad," she said with a smile. "For a skinny guy."  
  
"I am not skinny!" Ron said defensively. "Now Harry, he's skinny-scary skinny even."  
  
"True enough, about Harry I mean," Hermione said, "but you're still pretty skinny. You must have some metabolism because I've seen you eat."  
  
"There's nothing wrong with having a healthy appetite," Ron said with a grin. "Actually I was about to make myself a sandwich, you want one?"  
  
Hermione shrugged, "Sure," she said.  
  
"Take a seat then," Ron said as he indicated a nearby stool. "So what has you awake at this hour?" he asked as he gathered his ingredients.  
  
"Voldemort of course," Hermione replied with a sigh as she settled herself on the stool.  
  
"Do you think he's nearby?"  
  
"Maybe, I'm not sure," Hermione said. "Dumbledore certainly seems to think so and he's usually right about these things."  
  
Ron nodded, "That's for sure."  
  
"I'm worried about Harry too," Hermione continued, "I just hope he doesn't try anything stupid, you know?"  
  
Ron raised his eyebrows. "What? You mean the whole 'hero' thing again?"  
  
Hermione nodded, "You saw what he was like last June when he thought Voldemort had Sirius."  
  
"Yeah, but give the guy a break," Ron said, "He already has enough to deal with because of that."  
  
"I know, I know," Hermione said, "I hope it's kind of knocked some reason into him though."  
  
"So you're blaming Harry for Sirius' death?"  
  
"Not entirely," Hermione said defensively, "I just think that he contributed to it by not staying put. Don't you think so?"  
  
"I'm Harry's best friend," Ron said slowly, as he set down the jar of mayonnaise and looked at Hermione, "and I don't want to say anything bad about him because I know he hasn't had a an easy time. I think that Harry did what any normal person would do-he went to rescue someone who he thought was in danger."  
  
Hermione sighed, "You have a point," she said.  
  
Ron grinned, "What's this?" he said in mock surprise, "Hermione Granger actually admitting that someone else if right and that she might not know everything?"  
  
Hermione raised an eyebrow, "Don't push your luck," she said.  
  
"Alright, alright," Ron said. "Do you think that Dumbledore and Larusso told Harry everything? Because if they did he'll probably tell us."  
  
Hermione frowned as she thought for a moment. "No, I don't think they told him much," she said.  
  
"Why?"  
  
"Because if they tell Harry too much and Voldemort keeps posessing him..." Hermione let the sentence trail off.  
  
"Right," Ron said, "forgot about that."  
  
"I think they told him a little bit though," Hermione said. "They must have, otherwise Harry would've throw a fit."  
  
Ron nodded, "That's for sure," he said, "After Dumbledore kept him in the dark for so long there's no way Harry would let them getaway with not telling him almost everything."  
  
"I get the feeling that even they're stumped about it though," Hermione said. "I think they only know the tip of the iceberg this time because it's not as if they can compare this to other cases because there are no other cases."  
  
"So this is pretty much experimental stuff then?"  
  
"Parts of it are," Hermione said. "I started reading up on curse scars and unusal side effects they cause awhile ago to find out as much as I could. The thing about Harry's is that it actually forged this incredibly strong link between him and Voldemort instead of just a small one. In most cases where a link is formed the link weakens over time but Harry's has only gottan stronger since Voldemort regained his body. It's very complicated because the link is affected by emotion and activity in the brain."  
  
"OK...which means what?"  
  
"The strength of the link changes depending on the different variables involved," Hermione explained.  
  
"Ah, got it."  
  
"And now Voldemort has all that information on Harry and us that he stole from the ministry," Hermione said.  
  
"Wait a minute, I thought that stuff was just statistics and stuff," Ron said.  
  
Hermione shook her head, "No," she said, "It's very detailed information about the person including their strengths and weaknesses."  
  
"That's it?"  
  
"Obviously not but I don't know what else it contains because it's not disclosed to the general public," Hermione said sounding exaspherated.  
  
"Oh."  
  
Ron finished the sandwiches and set one in front of Hermione then walked around and sat beside her with his own sandwich. He watched as Hermione took a bit of her sandwich.  
  
"This is really good Ron," she said, clearly impressed.  
  
"What can I say?" Ron said, "I'm a master chef!"  
  
Hermione laughed, "I don't think one sandwich proves that you're master chef," she said. "Besides, I thought you wanted to be a master Quidditch player."  
  
"I can be both," Ron said simply. "I know how much you like professional Quidditch players though so...."  
  
"If you mean Viktor..." Hermione said warningly.  
  
"Obviously I mean Viktor," Ron said as he rolled his eyes. "How many other professional Quiddicth players do we know?"  
  
"Viktor and I are just friends," Hermione said.  
  
"With privilages?" Ron asked teasingly.  
  
"No!" Hermione said as she slapped his arm.  
  
"Hey! Easy!" Ron said, "I was only kidding! I know you're not like that because you're too nice and proper to be like that."  
  
"Is that a bad thing?"  
  
"Not at all," Ron said. "In fact, most guys prefer nice and proper girls to, well, for lack of better word, sluts."  
  
Hermione stared at him then giggled. "Oh really?" she said, "And which do you prefer?"  
  
"The nice and proper girls obviously," Ron said proudly as he puffed out his chest.  
  
"So...do you have a particular one in mind at the moment?" Hermione asked.  
  
_If you only knew,_ thought Ron.  
  
"Maybe, maybe not."  
  
Hermione looked curious, "Oh really?" she said. "You're not going to tell me who you like?"  
  
"Well are you going to tell me who you fancy?"  
  
"No."  
  
"Then why should I tell you?"  
  
"So I can blackmail you."  
  
"OK, now I'm definitely not telling you," Ron said with a laugh.  
  
They ate in silence for a few minutes.  
  
"So, did you and Viktor ever, you know, kiss and stuff though?" Ron said.  
  
"I hardly think that's any of your business," Hermione said disdainfully.  
  
"Hey, I'm just curious," Ron said. "I'll be honest with you, I've never even tried to kiss a girl which is actually quite pathetic if you think about it. Fred and George find it rather amusing though."  
  
Hermione surveyed him for a moment, as if to see if he was being serious or not. "Well why haven't you?" she asked, "Not that it's any of my business of course, but I might be able to help you figure out a plan to win the heart of that special someone if you give me all the details."  
  
"Well..." Ron said slowly, "I haven't really even been on a date. That Yule Ball thing with Padma was a complete and utter disaster."  
  
"I'll have to agree with you there."  
  
"Thanks for the vote of confidence."  
  
"Just helping where I can."  
  
"Anyway, the girl I wanted to go to the ball with already had a date so I just ended up with Padma 'cause Harry got Pavarti to set us up."  
  
"Do you still like this girl?" Hermione asked curiously. "Or do you like someone else now?"  
  
"No, it's the same girl."  
  
"Then why haven't you made a move?"  
  
Ron sighed, "Because I'm scared too," he admitted.  
  
Hermione frowned slightly, "Are you friends with her and are you scared that perhaps asking her out might ruin the friendship if the romance doesn't work?" she asked briskly.  
  
Ron gaped at her, "How do you do that?" he asked.  
  
"Do what?" asked a confused Hermione.  
  
"Know everything!"  
  
"It was just a lucky guess," Hermione said with a shrug. "So let's see then, girls you're friends with....hmmmm, well...."  
  
"Are you going to tell me who you fancy then and why you haven't made a move?" Ron asked in an attempt to distract her.  
  
"I haven't made a move because girls generally don't make the first move," Hermione replied. "I've tried subtle hints but they haven't really worked."  
  
"Well, if he's like me subtle probably doesn't work," Ron said with a laugh.  
  
"Actually I think only one out of every million men understands subtle hints," Hermione said.  
  
"There you go then," Ron said, "That's why you should make the first move."  
  
"But what if...."  
  
"What if what?"  
  
"What if he didn't feel the same way? It's be so embaressing!"  
  
Ron thought a moment, "OK, yeah it would be but people would forget about after awhile and at least you'd know how he felt and, if he didn't feel the same way, you could move on with your life."  
  
"I'm impressed Ron," Hermione said, "You actually sound like you know what you're talking about."  
  
"Actually I'm just repeating what Charlie said to me," Ron admitted.  
  
"I would say I'm surprised but I'm really not," Hermione said with a smile.  
  
"So...are you going to tell me who you fancy now that I've given you first class advice?"  
  
"Not a chance."  
  
"What if I told you who I liked?"  
  
Hermione looked at him, clearly surprised.  
  
"And who would that be exactly?" she asked.  
  
"As if you don't already know," Ron said with a laugh as he shook his head.  
  
Hermione furrowed her brow, "Actually, I'm not all together sure," she said. "There's only really one canidate but she seems so unlikely..."  
  
"Why does she seem unlikely?"  
  
"Just because, well, I can't explain it."  
  
"And why's that?"  
  
"It's just to...to..."  
  
"To what?"  
  
"Yes," said an unfamiliar voice from the doorway, "To what Miss Granger?"  
  
Ron and Hermione spun around to see a figure shrouded in long black robes with a hood that obscured her face from view. She pulled off her hood revealing the face of a woman that was all too famaliar because of her heavily lidded eyes.

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I'm evil for having another cliffie chapter, I know but it's already like 9 pages long and I knew that if I didn't stop now I'd get carried away and it would be a 20 page chapter. I should update soon, maybe even Wednesday but we'll see. Anywho, please review because reviews make me happy and I write more faster! Ciao for now peoples!  
  
-Megan  
  
P.S. I tried some fluff but I got frustrated with it because it was all corny and junk so I reverted back to my usual style. I think it's a pretty decent chapter (considering I'm finishing it at 11 o'clock at night) so I'm pretty happy with it. In other words-if you flame I will make you pay. I'm not joking. I will actually destroy you in my crazy sugar induced story. MUHAWHAWHAWHAWHAWHAW!!! So anyway, this is a prime example of why I should not write serious stuff late at night when I'm tired. 


	8. An Unexpected Visitor

Disclaimer: Harry Potter and all associated characters do not belong to me.

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Hey everyone! I'm finally updating! I've been so incredibly busy this week with work and soccer it's been absolute chaos! Anywho, thanks to my reviewers, you guys are awesome as always! I apologize for the cliffie in the previous chapter but I had to do it! I just couldn't help myself! Thanks to Foolish Fish and The Nauti Dolphin for their encouraging reviews! Special thanks goes to Jen who helped me make a final decision about a new character who appears in this chapter, I needed that criticism to keep me somewhat sane. Here's the next chapter!

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**Chapter 8: An Unexpected Vistor**

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"You!" exclaimed Hermione.

"Me," smirked Bellatrix, as she sauntered over so that she was only a few feet away. "I'm glad to se you remember me but isn't it past your bedtime?"

"Huh?" said a confused Ron.

Hermione drew her wand from her robe pocket, "I bet you were expecting to just waltz right in here without anyone noticing until it was too late," she said, "But you thought wrong! Stupefy!"

"Protego!" shouted Bellatrix, as she deflected the spell. "You know what you're doing, I'll give you that," she said. "I guess I have Potter to thank for that. However, seeing as I am far more experienced and powerful then you I'll have no trouble finishing you once and for all. Crucio!"

Hermione screamed in pain as she fell to the floor convulsing as pain ttacked very sqaure inch of her body.

"Hermione!" Ron exclaimed as he rushed forward.

"Ah, how touching," Bellatrix said, "Little Weasley loves his mudblood. I almost feel sad that you'll have to watch her die, Avada-"

But before she could get the words out, Ron had snatched up Hermione's wand from the floor.

"Expelliarmus!" he shouted, causing Bellatrix's wand to leap out of her hand and clatter to the floor. "Don't even think about it," he said through gritted teeth, as Bellatrix moved to grab her wand, "Stupefy!"

Bellatrix lept out of the way just in time and the spell sailed past.

"What a poor shot you are," she mocked.

"Accio wand!" Ron said and Bellatrix's wand zoomed over to him. He caught it in his left hand and smiled, "I may be a poor shot," he said, "but at least I have a wand and now you don't."

Bellatrix merely laughed at him, "Silly boy," she said, "Do you think I'd be stupid enough to come here alone? It doesn't matter if you have my wand because there are others who can get it back for me."

"I hope you don't mean these two," said a familiar voice from the hallway, and Bellatrix whirled around just as George entered dragging a figure in long black robes behind him, with Fred carting another figure close behind.

"Who would've though coming down for a midnight snack could be so exciting," continued George.

"Good thing we were up," said Fred, "Otherwise we would've missed all the fun, eh Ron?"

Ron stared at the twins for a moment, "Are you mental?" he said.

"A little, yeah," said Fred.

"But you should know that by now," said George.

"I suppose so," Ron said.

"Well Bellatrix," said Fred, "It's been a slice but I'm afraid you'll have to say 'goodnight' now. Care to do the honours Ron?"

Ron grinned, "Alright then," he said, "Stupefy!"

Bellatrix froze and fell over onto the floor.

Ron turned back to Hermione, "You OK?" he asked, as he knelt down beside her.

Hermione nodded slowly, "I think so," she said. "But who are those two?"

"Let's find out," George said, as he bent down and pulled the hood and mask off one of them. "Well this is her husband, that Rodolphus guy" he said, "Who's that Fred?"

Fred pulled of the hood and mask of the other Death Eater, "Victor Poletti?" he said, clearly confused.

"Isn't he that weird guy who's always hanging around the Leaky Cauldron?" Ron asked, as he helped Hermione to her feet.

"Yeah," George said, "Tom has to throw him out all the time bcause he creeps out the customers."

"And with a face like that it's no wonder," Hermione observed, and the boys laughed. "We should get ahold of the Ministry though..."

"Actually," said Kingsley Shacklebolt, as he stepped into view with four other Aurors, "we're already here. Fred and George notified us immediately. Not that you lot needed our help."

"Well, we did what we could," Hermione said with a smile.

"It helped that we had a good teacher," Ron added.

"Not Umbridge," said one of the other Aurors, as her head snapped up quickly in surprise. She was a woman of average height and build, with short light brown hair that fell to just below her ears and shockingly blue-grey eyes.

"Obviously not," Kingsley said with a chuckle. "He means Harry Potter. A whole group of kids formed a defence against the dark arts club and he taught them a bunch of spells."

"That Dumbledore's Army thing Fudge kept ranting about?" she asked.

"That would be the one," said Kingsley.

"Well it's a good thing you had at least one decent defence teacher last year," she said. "Guess that'll make my job a lot easier in September."

"Huh?" said Ron.

"I'm going to be the new defence teacher at Hogwarts," the Auror explained, "Name's Julie Goeller."

"I've read about you!" said Hermione.

Julie looked surprised, "You have?" she said.

"Yes!" Hermione said excitedly, "You co-wrote _101 Simple Spells To Protect Yourself_ with Jessica Albright and you wrote _How It Started: A History of the Magical World_ last year. Not to mention _The Enchanted _trilogy which is absolutely amazing!"

"Uh, thanks," said a now bewildered looking Julie.

"Hey wait a second," said George, "Didn't you go to school with Charlie?"

"Yeah," Julie said slowly, as if this conversation was not going at all to her liking.

"And didn't you two date at one point?" asked Fred.

Luckily, a now very flustered looking Julie was saved answering the question by the arrival of the rest of the Weasley family; all of whom looked rather dishevaled.

"What's going on down here?" demanded Mrs. Weasley. "Kinglsey? What are you doing here?"

"Your family had a few unexpected visitors," said Kingsley, as he indicated the incapacitated Death Eaters.

Mrs. Weasley did a double take as she looked down at the three stunned Death Eaters.

"Are those....?" she began.

Kingsley nodded, "Death Eaters," he finished.

"But how?" asked Mr. Weasley.

"We're not sure," Kingsley replied, "but luckily all of you are alright."

"Julie?" Charlie said, who had apprently just recognized his former classmate. Immediately Ron's attention shifted from his parents and Kingsley to his brother and Julie.

Julie, had been looking in the opposite direction looked round and nodded. "Yep, it's me," she said with a small smile, but it seemed strained.

"I haven't seen you in years!" exclaimed Charlie, clearly oblivious to Julie's discomfort. "I'd forgotten you were an Auror, how've you been?"

Julie shrugged, "Meh," she said, "It's never boring, that's for sure. How successful were you chasing dragons?"

"Not too bad," Charlie said. "I'm in London though with a bit of a desk job at the moment."

"How come?"

Charlie shrugged, "My boss told me I was being transferred so I was transferred," he replied.

Julie laughed, "So it wasn't really up to you then," she said.

"Not really, no."

"Hey Kingsley!" said one of the other Aurors. He had an unfamiliar accent that Ron didn't recognize. "You want us to take these three while you get statements?"

Kingsley thought for a moment, "Yeah," he said, "I'll meet you back at the office."

"Alright, you heard the boss!" said the Auror, "Move out!"

Julie rolled her eyes and smiled, "You are too much Shawn," she said.

Shawn grinned, "Ah, but I'm the funny Canadian, I'm allowed to be weird," he said.

"Guess I'll see you around Charlie," Julie said with a bit of a wave.

"Yeah," Charlie said with a nod, but Ron could've sworn his brother looked, was it disappointed?

Shawn waved his wand and the Death Eaters rose a few feet off the ground. Using his wand as a conductor's baton he directed them out the door and followed closely behind with the other Aurors.

"Hey Julie," Kingsley called, and Julie poked her head back into the kitchen.

"Yeah?"

"Could you draw a protective shield around the house before you leave?" Kingsley asked. "Out of the five of us your's are the strongest."

"Sure thing," Julie said.

"Thanks," said Kingsley, and Julie disappeared from view.

Ron glanced sideways at Hermione, who had furrowed her brow and was clearly thinking hard about something.

"What's wrong?" Ron asked in a whisper as he edged closer.

"Nothing's wrong," Hermione replied, her voice was so low Ron could barely hear her. "I just think that there's some tension between Charlie and Julie."

"So it's not just me then," Ron said. "I thought I was losing it for a minute."

"Are you telling me you actually noticed something subtle?"

"Yep, surprising isn't it?"

"Very much so."

"Well, what can I say, I'm a very surprising guy," Ron said with an impish grin.

"That you are," Hermione said with a smile.

"Hermione, Ron, could I get your statements please?" Kingsley asked.

"Alright," Ron said, and he and Hermione walked over to where Kinglsey had set up his quill and parchment.

When they had finished recounting their side of the story, Kinglsey rolled up the parchment and gave it a tap with his wand before stowing it away in his pocket.

"I'll be in touch with you at about 9 o'clock," he said. "Clearly your home is no longer safe and you must be moved to a secure location immediately."

"What about if someone comes back?" asked a nervous looking Mrs. Weasley.

"I brought a pair of Guard Thestrals with me," Kinglsey said. "I'll leave them behind to protect you for the time being."

"I didn't think Thestrals could be trained like that," Hermione said with a slight frown.

"Yeah," said Ron, "Hagrid said Hogwarts had the only domesticated herd."

"Funny you should mention Hagrid," said Kingsley, "I got them from him."

"Are you sure Thestrals are safe?" asked Mrs. Weasley.

Kingsley nodded, "Very safe," he said. "My advice though is to not leave your house because we don't know who's lurking out there at the moment. Julie's spells are also incredibly strong so that will give you even more protection-she graduated top of her class in Auror training."

Bill whistled, "Wow," he said, "I knew she was good but I didn't realize she was that good," he said.

"You should've seen her at Hogwarts," Charlie said. "She was in my year and top of the class in everything."

"That's right," Mrs. Weasley said. "My goodness she's changed though, she seems incredibly serious now, not at all like the smiling and care-free girl she used to be."

"That's a relatively new development," Kinglsey said. "She was still pretty laid back up until about three years ago but now..."

"What happened that changed her?" Charlie inquired looking interested.

Kingsley shrugged, "No one knows," he said, "but something happened. She's starting to relax again though. Ever since Shawn, he was the one with the accent, transferred from Canada she's started to return to her former self which is good news for everyone because he spellwork has grown stronger as her stress level has decreased."

Ron glanced sideways at Charlie who now wore a decisively blank expression. Ron frowned as he thought for a moment. He remembered meeting Julie at a Christmas party when he was about seven or eight and seeing her at King's Cross on Platform 9 ¾ but it that was it. Fred seemed to think that she and Charlie had dated at some point and judging from her reaction he had a feeling Fred was right. There was definitely more to the story then people were saying.

_Guess I'm not the only one with girl problems,_ he thought.

His gaze shifted to Hermione, who still looked rather shaken from the curse Bellatrix had directed at her. He frowned, how long did the effects of the Cruticus curse last?

_Maybe it's just a psychological thing._

He edged a bit closer, fighting the urge to take her hand in his.

"You alright?" he asked quietly.

Hermione shrugged, "I've been better," she replied. "I'm lucky you were here, otherwise...well it could've been much worse. At least you managed to get my wand before Bellatrix did."

"Oh, speaking of..." Ron said, as he held out her wand to her. "Here you go."

"Thanks," Hermione said, as she pocketed it.

"How come I come I managed to get such good results with it though?" Ron asked. "I thought spells were weaker when cast with someone else's wand."

"Normally, yes," Hermione said, "but there are exceptions. It depends on you relation to the owner of the wand and the emotion behind the spells you're trying to use."

"So since I was trying to be all brave and heroic by saving you it worked?"

"I guess," Hermione said with a shrug. "Although I think something else might've helped, but I'm not sure."

"What do you think helped?"

Hermione started to reply but was cut off by Mrs. Weasley.

"Come on you lot," Mrs. Weasley said, "Back to bed you go."

Slowly the group trudged upstairs to their respective bedrooms without argument. Only Mr. Weasley stayed behind to continue speaking with Kingsley.

Ron took his time going to his room, hoping against hope that maybe, just maybe, he'd be able to continue talking to Hermione, but no such luck. They said their goodnights and Ron watched as she disappeared into Ginny's room, closing the door behind her.

With a sigh, Ron turned and returned to his own room. He fell onto his bed and within a few minutes had fallen asleep.

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OK, so that's it folks! This chapter actually took forever and has been rewritten about 3 times! It also doesn't help that I'm never home because of work and soccer. Yesterday I left my house at 7 am and didn't come home until 9pm because I went straight from work to soccer which totally sucked. Well, that's about all, I won't bore you with anymore ramblings-lol. Please review and I promise I'll update sooner! I finish work next Friday and I'm already done about half the next chapter anyway. (OK, so it's only the rough draft, but it's a start.) Anywho, ciao! 

-Megan


	9. The Opportune Moment

Disclaimer: Harry Potter and all associated characters belong to J.K. Rowling, not me.

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Hey guys! I would've updated sooner but I have been so busy with work and soccer that I haven't been home much lately. However, I finished work last Friday so now things have calmed down a bit until school starts. Anyway, yesterday I got my driver's liscense so now I don't have to have a parent in the car with me which is very exciting! Thanks to my reviewers-you guys are awesome as always! Anywho, here's the next chapter! The chapter title is credited to the ever charming and hillarious Captain Jack Sparrow from POTC and should also satisfy all of you who are constantly asking for more Ron and Hermione romance! The only thing is, will Ron understand the subtle hints that Hermione gives him?

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**Chapter 9: The Opportune Moment**

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It was already 11 o'clock the next morning and the Aurors were still finalizing everything so that the Weasleys and Hermione could go into hiding. Mr. and Mrs. Weasley had not moved from their position at the kitchen table since the arrival of Kingsley and two Aurors who specialized in concealment charms. Ron had awoken and gone downstairs for breakfast to find the group already hard at work on plans. They stopped briefly and he was introduced to Jasmine Wickers and Rob McGrath before the five adults went back to work, completely ignoring his presence as they spoke in hushed voices. After eating as quickly as possible, Ron had retreated to his room under the pretence of packing. However, instead of packing, he lay on his bed staring up at the ceiling lost in his own thoughts.

_Wouldn't Voldemort have known that Harry wasn't here? _Ron thought. _And why would he only send three Death Eaters if he was after Harry? Maybe it's not just Harry he wants after all and maybe that's why he store Ministry records about all of us. But why would he want us? Is it just because we're friends with Harry and Dumbledore or is there something else? Something we don't know yet? Dumbledore said he wanted us to go into hiding so did he suspect something like this would happen or was he just taking precautions?_

A knock at the door startled Ron, causing him to leap off his bed in a desperate attempt to make it look as if he'd been packing.

"Come in," he said, as he hurriedly grabbed a few books and began throwing them in his trunk, which lay open and empty on the floor.

The door opened and Hermione appeared, looking as tired as Ron felt. There were dark circles under her eyes as if she hadn't had enough sleep the previous night. Her bushy brown hair was pulled into a ponytail in a desperate attempt to tame it but her clothes were as crisp and clean as always, making her look less dishevalled.

"Hey," she said, "Still packing?"

Ron nodded as he reached for a few more books, "Unfortunately yes," he said. "Any new news from downstairs?"

Hermione nodded as she stepped inside closing the door behind her. "A little, yes," she said, as she glanced sideways, almost as if she expected someone to jump out at any minute.

Ron raised an eyebrow, "I know that tone," he said. "What's wrong?"

"Well, first we were going to go to Grimmuld Place but now we can't because they suspect that Voldemort knows the general area of it now," Hermione said.

"But he can't find it unless Dumbledore tells him," Ron said.

"Yes, but he could ambush us the minute we stepped outside it," Hermione pointed out. "And I don't know about you but I don't want to be stuck inside for the rest of summer holidays."

"Yeah, I definitely had enough of that last summer," Ron said.

"Then they were going to have us stay in a muggle suburb near where Harry's aunt and uncle live," Hermione continued, "but Dumbledore said that wasn't safe enough and it would endanger too many others."

"So where are we going?" Ron asked, but he had a feeling he wouldn't like the answer much.

"Canada," Hermione replied. "Remember Shawn from last night?"

"Yeah, the blonde guy Charlie kept giving the death stare to, right?"

Hermione laughed, "Yeah, him," she said. "Well he found a place outside of Toronto for us to stay at for the time being. At one point they wanted us to go to Québec but since only Bill can speak any French your mother put a stop to that."

"I thought you spoke French," Ron said.

"I'm not fluent and I basically taught myself so I'm not very good," Hermione said. "Besides, I've always wanted to go to Toronto."

"Won't Canada be really cold though?" Ron asked.

Hermione stared at him, "Toronto's in Southwestern Ontario," she said, "It should be warmer then it is here."

"Oh, well how was I supposed to know that?" Ron said. "All I know is that they have a lot of lumberjacks, mounties, they live in igloos and they eat poutine."

Hermione laughed, "I really hope you're just joking Ron because all you did was list a bunch of stereo-types about Canadians," she said.

"I'm highly offended that you would even think I was that stupid!" Ron said feigning hurt. "Just because I don't read as many books as you doesn't mean I don't know a thing or two about Canada."

"OK, OK, I'm sorry," Hermione said.

"Why are we basically fleeing the country though?" Ron asked. "We have to come back for school in September anyway."

Hermione shrugged, "I don't know," she said. "Kingsley said it would only be for a week or two so my guess is they need more time to set a place up for us."

"But there's bound to be Death Eaters in Canada too," Ron pointed out.

"True," Hermione said thoughtfully. "I don't think there would be too many though."

"Well no, but my point is is that they're still there to pose a threat," Ron said. "And if Voldemort is really after us he'll still be able to find us."

"I'm not entirely sure it's us Voldemort wants," Hermione said, her brow furrowed in concentration.

"You think he's just after Harry?"

"I'm not sure," Hermione said. "It doesn't really make sense does it? I mean, it's only logical that we would've taken Harry to St. Mungo's so why would Voldemort even bother attacking us?"

"Maybe he just wants to mess with us," Ron suggested.

"But now he's lost the element of surprise since he made the first move," Hermione said. "Obviously we'll go into hiding so that he can't come back."

"But maybe that's exactly what he wants us to do," Ron said. "Think about it, Voldemort will automatically assume that we're moving right? So what if we just stayed here? He'd never think to look here again because he's already come here once."

Hermione stared at Ron for a minute then smiled, "You're either insane or brilliant," she said. "It's crazy enough that it just might work, come on!"

She grabbed his arm and dragged him downstairs to the kitchen at a rather alarming speed, catching Ron off guard.

"Um, excuse me," Hermione said as they entered the kitchen.

"Yes?" said Kingsley.

"Well, Ron just had this really great idea that I thought might be helpful," Hermione said quickly. "Tell them Ron."

Ron swallowed hard and felt his ears start to go red in embaressment. "Well ... I ... er ... um ..." he stammered as he looked desperately at Hermione, who gave him an encouraging smile.

"I think we should just stay here," he said in a rush.

"Are you out of your mind?" asked Rob, as he stood up, nearly knocking his chair over in his haste.

"Well think about it," Ron said, growing a bit more confident. "Voldemort will be expecting us to go into hiding somewhere else so he'd never think to come back here."

"And there's all sorts of spells we could use to protect ourselves," Hermione added.

"And if we made it look like we had gone somewhere else then we'd be even safer," Ron finished.

"It could work you know," Jasmine said thoughtfully, as she toyed with one of her long dangling purple earrings. "What do you think Kingsley?"

Kingsley thought a moment before responding.

"We'd need some very strong spellcasters," he said finally, "but I'm sure Dumbledore would help. What do you think Molly, Arthur?"

"I don't know..." Mrs. Weasley said nervously, and Ron recalled that his mother's older brother and his wife had both died at Voldemort's hands.

"Well I think it's a great idea and I'm all for it," Mr. Weasley said, as he stood up. "Well done Ron!"

"Then I'll talk it over with Shewfelt," Kingsley said, "I should have all the details arranged for tomorrow."

Ron couldn't help smiling, they were going to use his idea to fool Voldemort, not someone else's!

"Ron, Hermione," Mr. Weasley said, "Why don't you tell the others we're staying here so that they stop packing?"

"Right dad," Ron said, before he and Hermione turned to go find the rest of the Weasley family.

"It is a really good idea you know," Hermione said, as they went outside in search of Bill who was supposedly working on the car in the shed.

"Thanks," Ron said, as he tried not to blush.

"I'm kind of glad we're not going anywhere," Hermione said, "I really like it here, it's such a change from living in the city."

"I bet," Ron said. They were now walking through the garden in which Mrs. Weasley had enchanted many of her flowers so that they towered over the path, completely obscuring them from the others' view.

"But I still think that, with the way things are, some things shouldn't be left unsaid, you know?" Hermione said.

Ron stopped and looked at Hermione, "I know exactly what you mean," he said quietly.

They next thing he knew, he was kissing the girl of his dreams in the shadow of a cluster of eight-foot tall roses.

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Awww, so cute! I know, a bunch of you will hate me for ending it here but technically it's not a cliffie and I'll probably update soon, maybe even Friday but we'll have to see how it goes. This chapter was a bit rushed because I kept changing my mind up until the last minute but now it's done and I'm going to post it without fully editing it because, well, I'm the author and I can if I want to! Anywho, hope you enjoyed, there's a tiny bit of foreshadowing in it so see if you can find it and remember to review because reviews are good! Thanks!

-Megan


	10. Secrets Revealed

_Disclaimer: Harry Potter and all associated characters, things ect. are not mine._

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Hey everyone! I know, it's been months since I updated and I'm really sorry! I've just been so incredibly busy with everything that I just sort of forgot about my stories. Don't worry though, I'm back, although I can't promise that I'll update very regularlly. I feel like I should defend myself so here's what I've been doing since I last updated.

My soccer season finished in September and my team won the championships! We were down one nothing and then I scored to tie it up less then 5 minutes after the other team had scored on us. Then another girl on my team scored again so we won 2-1! I now have a shiny trophy from the season sitting on my bookcase!

I was in my school play ("Joseph and the Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat"), so that was from September until the end of November. I played Jacob's (that's Joseph's dad) concubine. I wasn't even a wife, I was a concubine-lol! I didn't have any solos or anything but that's fine, I'm not much of a singer anyway.

I went to Italy and Greece on a school trip for March Break and had the time of my life! My favourite places were definitely Pompeii and Delphi and I took an ungodly amount of pictures. It'd be different if I had a digital camera, but I don't so I had to buy more film in Rome and boy was it expensive! Had the time of my life though and I'd love to go back!

School has been chaotic! This is my last year of high school so I have had homework like no other. I also had four heavy writing courses first semester (History, Writer's Craft, English and Law) and then this semester I've had Peer Tutoring (it's half online, half me teaching a grade 10 history class with a real teacher), Math, Philosophy and DRAMA! Since I applied to a bunch of theatre programs I had a bunch of auditions, not to mention essays and questionnaires for the other programs I applied for. (I'll be majoring in history and drama in the fall!) It's just been nuts! Prom was a few weeks ago and even though I'm not a girlie girl I got all dressed up and everything. I got the most double takes ever-it was great! I know I'll sound like a nerd, but I'll say it anyway-it was basically how everyone reacted to Hermione at the Yule Ball, but because I'm an athlete.

I've had soccer and track like mad for the past few months as well, but track's finished and soccer has calmed down slightly now that the schedule is all worked out.

Anywho, all that being said, here is the long awaited chapter 10 of this lovely story! Enjoy and please review!

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**Chapter 10: Secrets Revealed**

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It was getting late and the house was quiet, but Ron couldn't sleep. Instead, he lay awake, staring at the dark ceiling as millions of thoughts buzzed through his head. Some thoughts were far more pleasant then others, but it seemed as though only the negative 'what ifs?' surfaced. On the one hand, he was quite happy about discovering Hermione wanted to be more than 'just friends,' but at the same time he was worried about it. What if she changed her mind? What if something went wrong with the relationship? Would they be able to go back to just being friends? And what would happen with Harry? Would he be mad about turning into the third wheel when they did stuff together? 

Slowly, Ron realized that these were the least of his worries. Far more pressing then the anxiety of his first date, was the fear Voldemort instilled in him. If the past few days were any indication, Voldemort was not worried about hiding anymore and was set to strike down anyone who crossed him. Ron had never been as scared as he was now in his entire life and, for the first time, wondered if it was such a smart idea to be best friends with Voldemort's worst enemy. Possible life-threatening danger had not been listed in the job description when he became Harry's best friend.

Ron's problems could be separated into two distinct categories now; teenage drama, that he would probably laugh about when he was older, and extreme, life-threatening danger problems.

_At least all this stuff will back a great story some day,_ he thought. _Maybe I'll write a book about it and sell my story for millions about how I'm best friends with the famous Harry Potter._

The sound of a dog barking carried through the open window and Pig twittered in his cage, clearly unhappy about being cooped up inside for the past few days.

"I can't let you out," Ron said, as he padded over to his tiny owl. He picked up the bag of owl treats and pushed a few through the bars.

Still twittering like mad, Pig gobbled up the owl treats in record time, then zoomed around his cage.

"Stupid bird," Ron said. "Now be quiet, I need to sleep."

But Pig kept making a racket, so Ron threw a blanket over the cage to muffle the sound. The murmur of voices drifted in from outside.

"…but I don't trust it," said a woman's voice.

Ron turned and moved towards the window as quietly as he could. He looked down below and saw Julie talking with Shawn.

"Neither do I," Shawn agreed. "It's that clichéd 'too quiet' feeling, you know?"

Julie pulled her cloak tighter around her, "Do I ever," she said. "I think Ron was right though, Voldemort won't think to come back here."

"I don't know," Shawn said. "He's not stupid, he might suspect something's up."

The two moved around the right-hand corner and out of sight, still deep in conversation. As Ron watched, another pair of Aurors soon appeared from the left, but their voices were too low for him to hear. Deciding to get a snack, Ron walked over to his door, grabbing a shirt off his desk chair as he went. He pulled the shirt over his head and opened the door to the dark hallway. He heard the murmur of voices from Ginny's room and it took all of his will-power not to stop and listen. He heard the sound of muffled giggles and almost turned around to go back but forced himself to go down the stairs instead.

_I don't need to know,_ he told himself firmly.

Quietly, Ron made his way downstairs, only to discover that his parents were talking in low voices in the kitchen. He peeked around the corner and saw them sitting at the kitchen table with cups of tea.

"You don't trust your own son?" Mrs. Weasley asked, her voice quivering slightly.

Mr. Weasley shook his head, but his reply was to quiet for Ron to hear.

"But Arthur, he's our son!"

"I know that Molly, but…Percy just doesn't seem to fit, you know? I think something happened, something changed him when he started working for Fudge."

"That doesn't mean he's working for Voldemort!"

Mr. Weasley sighed, "Look," he said wearily, "Voldemort didn't take any records on Percy. Why would he take stuff on everyone else and not Percy? Even if we were fighting I would wager he would still want to get his hands on something, just incase."

Suddenly, a loud roaring noise was heard from outside. The entire house shook and was filled with a blinding light. Ron nearly fell over from the force of the explosion, but managed to grab the doorframe.

"What was that?" Mrs. Weasley cried.

Julie burst through the door as the sound of more explosions and shouts ripped through the formerly quiet night air.

"We have to get out of here now!" she yelled above the din.

Someone wearing a dark cloak and mask leapt through the door at her, but she whirled around.

"Stupefy!" she shouted, and the person was blown backwards into the night.

"What's going on?" Ron asked.

"They're here, and he's with them!" Julie said. "Now go!"

Disoriented, and unsure of where to go, Ron stood in the middle of the hallway before Julie seized him by the back of his shirt and literally threw him up the stairs in front of her. He scrambled up the stairs after his parents to find Hermione and the rest of the Weasley clan huddled at the top clad in their pajamas.

"What's happening?" Charlie shouted above the noise.

"No time for explanations!" Julie replied. She looked around desperately for a split second before her eyes fell on the throw rug that carpeted the hallway. "Everyone on the rug!" she ordered. She raised her wand and pointed it at the rug. "Portus!"

The rug quivered beneath their feet before Ron felt a familiar jerking sensation behind his navel. In a whirl of colour and rushing wind, the group suddenly found themselves deposited in what appeared to be an office at the Ministry.

"Stay here!" Julie commanded before hurrying out the door.

"OK, what the bloody hell is going on?" demanded Fred.

"Voldemort obviously," replied Bill.

Ron felt numb.

_It's my fault,_ he thought. _I was the one who said we should stay at the Burrow. It was my idea. I should've just kept my mouth shut._

He slouched against the wall, his head in his hands, oblivious to the others talking frantically around him.

"Ron?"

The voice was soft, with a twinge of fear in it, and he felt the gentle touch of a hand on his shoulder.

"Ron, look at me," the voice commanded.

Ron looked up and found himself gazing into Hermione's eyes.

"It's my fault," he whispered, his voice cracking.

"No, it's not," Hermione reassured him. "It's Voldemort's."

"But I…" Ron started to protest.

"But nothing," Hermione said firmly. "I've had enough of people always blaming themselves for stuff that is beyond their control."

Ron settled himself on the floor and leaned against the cream coloured wall, but said nothing.

Hermione took his hands in hers, "It'll be alright," she said softly. "You'll see."

Julie suddenly reappeared with a fistful of wands. "I thought you might want these," she said, as she tossed each wand to its owner. Ron caught his without even thinking, and clutched it tightly in his fist.

"What's happening?" Mr. Weasley asked.

"Let's just say if those spells weren't there, your house would already be destroyed," Julie said grimly. "As it stands right now it's holding up because we've sealed it off, but since Voldemort's with them…" she trailed off.

"But how did Voldemort find us?" Charlie asked.

"Jasmine," Julie replied through gritted teeth. A vase on the near by desk shattered, sending the flowers and ceramic pieces tumbling to the floor.

Everyone jumped and Mrs. Weasley let out a shriek.

"Sorry," Julie mumbled apologetically. A careless wave of her wand reassembled the vase. "Sometimes my emotions get the better of me. That's about the third time I've broken that vase this past month. Anyway, you guys are going to stay here in my office tonight. I wish I could give you better accommodations but this is the safest place we have at our disposal at the moment."

She extracted a folded bit of khaki coloured fabric from her desk drawer, before waving her wand and sending all the furniture sliding across the room where it stacked itself neatly in the corner. She spread the fabric out on the floor, gave it a prod with her wand, and instantly the fabric erected itself into a sizable tent.

She smiled, "I always knew my old camping supplies would come in use one day!" she said proudly. "Follow me," she instructed, and the group trooped into the tent after her.

Inside, Ron noticed that it was similar to the tents they had borrowed when they had seen the Quidditch World Cup, only it smelled nicer.

"This is your living room area," Julie said, indicating the room they were standing in. "The kitchen is over there and there should be some canned food in the cupboards. The kitchen and bathrooms have running water and you can use the juice crystals to make juice. There's three bathrooms-one in the master suite, and two by the other bedrooms. Along with the master bedroom there are five other bedrooms and each has a set of twin beds in them. Each closet in the bedrooms has extra sheets and blankets. The bathroom closets have towels, soap, shampoo-basically anything you might need. If you're bored that cabinet has a chess set, exploding snap, and a few other games. Feel free to look at any of the books I have in my office, they're mostly reference books but there's a few novels. I'll try to find some extra clothes for you guys so you have more than just your pajamas. As soon as the fighting stops I'll sneak into your house and round up your belongings. Which reminds me…"

She slipped out the door and returned a minute later with a large bird cage containing Pig, Errol and Hedwig, and a wicker basket, which she opened to reveal Crookshanks.

"I thought you might like to have these guys back," she said with a grin. "There should be some owl and cat food kicking around here somewhere from when I took my pets camping."

Hermione scooped up Crookshanks, "Thank you!" she said, as she scratched her cat behind the ears. Crookshanks purred in reply.

"No problem," Julie said with small smile. "Now I know it's going to be hard, but try to get some sleep. I'll be back in a few hours to check up on you guys."

"Are you going back to our house?" Charlie asked.

Julie didn't answer right away. "The less you know, the better," she said finally, but she didn't meet anyone's eyes. "I'm sealing you in my office so that no one can get in. If someone does manage to get in, or I don't come back by tomorrow night, lock yourselves in that closet." She indicated the closet at the end of the hallway. "That closet is the safest place in this tent, and there are very few who know how to enter it." She looked at her watch, "I should be back between 8 and 9 o'clock. Try to get some rest and I shall see you then."

"Goodnight Julie, and thank you!" Mrs. Weasley said, and the others followed her lead and a chorus of thank you's errupted.

Julie smiled slightly, "You're welcome," she said, before disappearing out the door.

"Well, Julie's right," Mrs. Weasley said as she turned to face everyone. "Off to bed you lot!"

There were no complaints from the group as the trudged off down the hallway to their respective rooms.

Ron crawled under the blankets, fully expecting to lie awake staring blankly at the ceiling all night, but as soon as he hit the pillows he exhaustion overtook him and he passed out.

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After I found this chapter saved on a disk from ages ago I really didn't have to add much. In fact, I cut off the ending and I'm making that the beginning of a new chapter because I figured I'd had enough action for one chapter. Anywho, hope you enjoyed and please review! I promise I'll be better about updating in the future because now I've got a bit more free time on my hands. That and I want to get this close to, if not completely, done before the sixth book comes out. In any case, chapter 11 should be up soon because it's started already. I added a bit more spice to this chapter and did some hard-core editing on it last night. But I'm out. Ciao!

Megan


	11. Seeking Guidance

_Disclaimer: Harry Potter and all that entails belongs to the brilliant J.K. Rowling, not myself. I merely own the idea for this story and any new characters._

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Yay! New chapter! Told you I'd update quick! Hope you enjoy! I kind of delved into a lot of back story and it's a little slow because there isn't much 'action' per say, but you learn some new things about some characters and their relationships!

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**Chapter 11: Seeking Guidance**

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"If you want breakfast, get out of bed!" Fred shouted through the door the next morning. 

"Otherwise we'll eat all of it!" George added.

"I'm up!" Ron shouted back as he went to roll out of bed. However, he had become rather entangled in the blankets and consequently fell on the floor in heap. Cursing, he detached himself before making his way down to the kitchen.

He was greeted by several mumbled hellos and vaguely noticed that everyone looked as tired as he felt.

"Morning dear," Mrs. Weasley said, as she set a steaming bowl of oatmeal on the table for him.

"Morning mum," Ron replied before sitting down between Bill and George. He glanced up at Hermione who was seated across from him. She looked utterly exhausted and her eyes had a slightly glazed over look. Her hair, always rather bushy and wild, was a mass of tangles she hadn't even attempted to tame. It looked rather like a lion's mane in all its unruly glory, and Ron couldn't help but smile.

She looked up at him and managed a small smile.

"Morning," she said. "How'd you sleep?"

"Terrible," Ron said and she laughed. "You?"

"Terrible," she replied.

Ron chuckled before focusing his attention on his oatmeal. For the first time in his life, Ron had no desire to eat, but he forced it down as best he could. He then excused himself to get dressed, before realizing he had no clothes with him besides the pajamas he was already wearing.

"Mum," he called down the hallway, "what am I supposed to wear?"

Mrs. Weasley appeared at the end of the hallway, balancing a laundry basket on her hip. "These," she said, indicting the clothes in the basket.

Ron followed his mother into his room where she deposited the basket on one of the beds.

"Where did you get them?" he asked, staring at the clothes. Even from a distance he thought they looked rather expensive, not to mention brand new.

"Julie dropped them off a few hours ago when you were still asleep," Mrs. Weasley replied.

Ron rummaged through the clothes, "Mum…" he said quietly as he looked up, "How can we afford these?"

Mrs. Weasley pursed her lips, "Julie said to consider them a gift," she replied, but she didn't meet Ron's eyes. "She said she wasn't sure how much she'd be able to salvage from the Burrow and wanted to make sure we had enough clothes to last us."

"Wow…" Ron breathed, "That's really nice of her."

Mrs. Weasley nodded, "She always has been a very generous girl," she said. "Why I remember when the Langley's house burnt down three years ago. She gave them more than enough money to get back on their feet."

"Well she can afford it," Charlie said entering the room. "She's the richest woman in Britain, and consequently one of the richest in the world."

"How did she get so rich?" Ron asked, utterly dumb-founded.

"A lot of hard work," Mrs. Weasley informed him.

"She's a very well-respected author in both the wizarding and muggle worlds," Charlie explained. "Not to mention the fact that she owns quite a number of businesses and she comes from a rich family."

With a wave of her wand, Mrs. Weasley sent the remaining clothes flying into open drawers and the closet. "Yes, but she still worked very hard to achieve her own success," she said. "You would benefit a great deal if you picked up a few of her habits. Now get dressed, you've dilly-dallied enough this morning already." She hitched the empty laundry basket back up onto her hip and left.

"Her dad used to own the _Prophet_ before it started going downhill a few years back. Now he owns various magazines and smaller newspapers, both muggle and wizarding," Charlie continued.

"Why would he own muggle stuff?" Ron asked.

"Her mom's muggle born so he does it to keep up appearances for the sake of her extended family," Charlie explained.

"It's still weird," Ron said.

"Not really," Charlie said as he sat down on the edge of the bed closest to the door. "The Goeller family has always been big on muggle-relations. He uncle used to work with dad years ago before he retired. I remember because that was how I met her."

Ron sat down on the other bed and looked at Charlie, who was now gazing wistfully at the ceiling.

"You went to school with her, right?" Ron said.

"Yeah," Charlie nodded. "She was top of our year, and not a bad beater either."

"She played beater?" Ron said, utterly astounded, "Chaser I could see, or even keeper, but beater? She's not big at all!"

"Size is no real indication of power though," Charlie reminded him. "But yeah, she played beater. Brilliant player, she could wail that bludger clear to the other side of the field in nothing flat."

"So she's smart, generous, athletic," Ron said, listing off Julie's qualities, "Is there anything wrong with her at all or is she as perfect as she sounds?"

"She can be pretty bossy," Charlie admitted. "Hell of a temper, probably second only to mum's."

The two brothers laughed.

"She was always friendly and optimistic though," Charlie continued. "But brutally honest. I'll never forget when I asked her to read over one of my history of magic essays and edit it. It came back to me covered in red ink. She didn't just proof-read it for me, she waged war on it. She doesn't sugar-coat things, which is off-putting to some people. She also used to have a slight tendency to talk too much about all the stuff she's done. She'd talk about these amazing vacations she'd gone on with her family, or how she'd gone to lots of professional Quidditch matches. The thing that would really make people mad though was if she talked about the stuff she'd accomplished – how she'd made such a good play at a Quidditch game or aced a test."

"So was she kind of a stuck up rich kid?" Ron asked.

Charlie frowned, "That's a bit harsh," he said.

"Was she a high-maintenance kind of girl?"

"Surprisingly not," Charlie said. "As long as you were willing to carry on a meaningful conversation and show affection she was happy. Which was good for me because, well let's face it, our family doesn't exactly have money to burn." Charlie met Ron's eyes for the briefest of moments. It wasn't so much that he looked unhappy, but more embarrassed.

Ron nodded, completely understanding. He'd had hand-me downs his entire life and was always very aware of the fact that his family barely made ends meet at times.

"She was just 'one of the guys' for so long that I already knew her really well," Charlie continued. "She's one of the few girls - well women - I know who's totally anti-make-up. When we dated she'd just wear normal clothes most of the time and was always perfectly punctual. She'd get all dressed up for special occasions and 'big' dates, but she was pretty laid back, which worked for me. She can look great in anything."

"Did you wish she'd dress up a bit more?" Ron asked.

Charlie shrugged, "Sometimes," he replied. "I just didn't feel that it was a big deal though. Although when she did dress up…well, she outshone all the other girls. We had a Yule Ball at Hogwarts in sixth year and I'll never forget when she walked down the stairs to the common room to meet me. Everyone who was there fell utterly silent because of her transformation. Heads turned, mouths dropped…he transformation was beyond belief."

Charlie seemed lost in his thoughts and Ron couldn't help but smile. He'd never heard Charlie talk like this before. He allowed Charlie a few moments to reminisce before speaking again.

"You still like her, don't you?" he said quietly.

Charlie hesitated, then nodded. "Yeah," he said.

"Why did you break up?"

"I can't remember what exactly happened," Charlie said. "It just got too difficult to maintain a solid relationship after graduation because we were both so busy. I was traveling all over the place, she was at the Auror Academy – we didn't really have the time."

"Since you're back in Britain now you could ask her out on a date," Ron suggested. "Just say it's for old time's sake or something and see if she goes."

Charlie laughed, "And since when are you the expert on girls?" he asked. "Your one and only date was a disaster from what I've heard."

"Yeah well, I learned from my mistakes," Ron replied.

"I should hope so," Charlie said. He paused before continuing, "Did you ever make a move with the girl you liked?"

Ron grinned.

"Maybe."

"Ah come on!" Charlie said. "Don't leave me hanging here! I just told you a good portion of my love troubles so you have to tell me more than 'maybe'."

"OK, OK," Ron said. "Yes I made a move."

"And?"

"The feelings were mutual."

"That's great! So have you had an official date yet or what?"

"It's kind of hard to have a date when you're in hiding," Ron pointed out.

"Oh yeah, right," Charlie said. "You should probably send her an owl telling her you'll alright at least or something."

"She already knows so I don't have to."

"How could she already know?"

"Oh, she knows."

Charlie seemed deep in thought for a moment, "But there's no way she could know unless…" he trailed off and looked up. "Hermione?" he exclaimed.

Ron simply nodded.

"I should've known!" Charlie said shaking his head and smiling.

"What do you mean?"

"Oh it's nothing," Charlie said, waving away the question. "It was just really obvious now that I think about it."

"But how was it obvious?" Ron asked. "I never said anything, did I?"

"It's hard to explain," Charlie said. "It was more of how you acted around her and stuff. You sort of treated her like she was just 'one of the guys,' but not quite."

"OK, I'll pretend I understand that then," Ron said. "Just promise you won't say anything to anyone yet, OK? Hermione would kill me if she found out I'd said something."

"Sure thing little bro," Charlie said. "As long as you don't say anything about Julie to anyone."

"Course I won't."

"We should go on a double date if I hook up with Julie again."

"Yeah that wouldn't be awkward at all," Ron said sarcastically.

"Why would it be awkward?" Charlie asked, slightly confused.

"Because you're my older brother and it'd feel like I had a chaperon or something."

"Point taken," Charlie said. "But if you need any help with girls, don't be afraid to ask OK?"

"Yeah, I think I'll need all the help I can get," Ron said.

"We all do," Charlie said.

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So yeah this was a pretty fluff filled chapter, but I wanted to introduce a bit more about Julie and set the stage for some stuff romance-wise at least. I'm rather unhappy with the dialogue, it seems too static. Actually I'm a little dissatisfied with the majority of the chapter. Anywho, hopefully I'll get the next chapter done quickly as well so that I can keep you guys reading! And hopefully, for my own sanity, it's a lot better plot-wise and everything else. Please remember to review though because reviews work wonders for my motivation! 

Megan


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